Experiments of Nanometer Spot Size Monitor at FETB Using Laser Interferometry

CERN Document Server

Walz, D

2003-01-01

The nanometer spot size monitor based on the laser interferometry has been developed and installed in the final focus test beam (FFTB) line at SLAC. The beam experiments started in September 1993, the first fringe pattern from the monitor was observed in the beginning of April 1994, then the small vertical spot around 70 nm was observed in May 1994. The spot size monitor has been routinely used for tuning the beam optics in FFTB. Basic principle of this monitor has been well proved, and its high performance as a precise beam monitor in nanometer range has been demonstrated.

Prediction of oil droplet size distribution in agitated aquatic environments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khelifa, A.; Lee, K.; Hill, P.S.

2004-01-01

Oil spilled at sea undergoes many transformations based on physical, biological and chemical processes. Vertical dispersion is the hydrodynamic mechanism controlled by turbulent mixing due to breaking waves, vertical velocity, density gradients and other environmental factors. Spilled oil is dispersed in the water column as small oil droplets. In order to estimate the mass of an oil slick in the water column, it is necessary to know how the droplets formed. Also, the vertical dispersion and fate of oil spilled in aquatic environments can be modelled if the droplet-size distribution of the oil droplets is known. An oil spill remediation strategy can then be implemented. This paper presented a newly developed Monte Carlo model to predict droplet-size distribution due to Brownian motion, turbulence and a differential settling at equilibrium. A kinematic model was integrated into the proposed model to simulate droplet breakage. The key physical input of the model is the maximum droplet size permissible in the simulation. Laboratory studies were found to be in good agreement with field studies. 26 refs., 1 tab., 5 figs

Obtaining of iron particles of nanometer size in a natural zeolite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xingu C, E. G.

2013-01-01

The zeolites are aluminosilicates with cavities that can act as molecular sieve. Their crystalline structure is formed by tetrahedrons that get together giving place to a three-dimensional net, in which each oxygen is shared by two silicon atoms, being this way part of the tecto silicate minerals, its external and internal areas reach the hundred square meters for gram, they are located in a natural way in a large part of earth crust and also exist in a synthetic way. In Mexico there are different locations of zeolitic material whose important component is the clinoptilolite. In this work the results of three zeolitic materials coming from San Luis Potosi are shown, the samples were milled and sieved for its initial characterization, to know its chemical composition, crystalline phases, morphology, topology and thermal behavior before and after its homo-ionization with sodium chloride, its use as support of iron particles of nanometer size. The description of the synthesis of iron particles of nanometer size is also presented, as well as the comparison with the particles of nanometer size synthesized without support after its characterization. The characterization techniques used during the experimental work were: Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Infrared spectroscopy, specific area by means of BET and thermogravimetry analysis. (Author)

A scattering methodology for droplet sizing of e-cigarette aerosols.

Science.gov (United States)

Pratte, Pascal; Cosandey, Stéphane; Goujon-Ginglinger, Catherine

2016-10-01

Knowledge of the droplet size distribution of inhalable aerosols is important to predict aerosol deposition yield at various respiratory tract locations in human. Optical methodologies are usually preferred over the multi-stage cascade impactor for high-throughput measurements of aerosol particle/droplet size distributions. Evaluate the Laser Aerosol Spectrometer technology based on Polystyrene Sphere Latex (PSL) calibration curve applied for the experimental determination of droplet size distributions in the diameter range typical of commercial e-cigarette aerosols (147-1361 nm). This calibration procedure was tested for a TSI Laser Aerosol Spectrometer (LAS) operating at a wavelength of 633 nm and assessed against model di-ethyl-hexyl-sebacat (DEHS) droplets and e-cigarette aerosols. The PSL size response was measured, and intra- and between-day standard deviations calculated. DEHS droplet sizes were underestimated by 15-20% by the LAS when the PSL calibration curve was used; however, the intra- and between-day relative standard deviations were e-cigarette aerosols ranged from 130-191 nm to 225-293 nm, respectively, similar to published values. The LAS instrument can be used to measure e-cigarette aerosol droplet size distributions with a bias underestimating the expected value by 15-20% when using a precise PSL calibration curve. Controlled variability of DEHS size measurements can be achieved with the LAS system; however, this method can only be applied to test aerosols having a refractive index close to that of PSL particles used for calibration.

In situ droplet size and speed determination in a fluid-bed granulator.

Science.gov (United States)

Ehlers, Henrik; Larjo, Jussi; Antikainen, Osmo; Räikkönen, Heikki; Heinämäki, Jyrki; Yliruusi, Jouko

2010-05-31

The droplet size affects the final product in fluid-bed granulation and coating. In the present study, spray characteristics of aqueous granulation liquid (purified water) were determined in situ in a fluid-bed granulator. Droplets were produced by a pneumatic nozzle. Diode laser stroboscopy (DLS) was used for droplet detection and particle tracking velocimetry (PTV) was used for determination of droplet size and speed. Increased atomization pressure decreased the droplet size and the effect was most strongly visible in the 90% size fractile. The droplets seemed to undergo coalescence after which only slight evaporation occurred. Furthermore, the droplets were subjected to a strong turbulence at the event of atomization, after which the turbulence reached a minimum value in the lower halve of the chamber. The turbulence increased as speed and droplet size decreased due to the effects of the fluidizing air. The DLS and PTV system used was found to be a useful and rapid tool in determining spray characteristics and in monitoring and predicting nozzle performance. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Highly crystallized nanometer-sized zeolite a with large Cs adsorption capability for the decontamination of water.

Science.gov (United States)

Torad, Nagy L; Naito, Masanobu; Tatami, Junichi; Endo, Akira; Leo, Sin-Yen; Ishihara, Shinsuke; Wu, Kevin C-W; Wakihara, Toru; Yamauchi, Yusuke

2014-03-01

Nanometer-sized zeolite A with a large cesium (Cs) uptake capability is prepared through a simple post-milling recrystallization method. This method is suitable for producing nanometer-sized zeolite in large scale, as additional organic compounds are not needed to control zeolite nucleation and crystal growth. Herein, we perform a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) study to evaluate the uptake ability of Cs ions by zeolite, to the best of our knowledge, for the first time. In comparison to micrometer-sized zeolite A, nanometer-sized zeolite A can rapidly accommodate a larger amount of Cs ions into the zeolite crystal structure, owing to its high external surface area. Nanometer-sized zeolite is a promising candidate for the removal of radioactive Cs ions from polluted water. Our QCM study on Cs adsorption uptake behavior provides the information of adsorption kinetics (e.g., adsorption amounts and rates). This technique is applicable to other zeolites, which will be highly valuable for further consideration of radioactive Cs removal in the future. Copyright © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

The Effect of pH and High-Pressure Homogenization on Droplet Size

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ah Pis Yong

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The aims of this study are to revisit the effect of high pressure on homogenization and the influence of pH on the emulsion droplet sizes. The high-pressure homogenization (HPH involves two stages of processing, where the first stage involves in blending the coarse emulsion by a blender, and the second stage requires disruption of the coarse emulsion into smaller droplets by a high-pressure homogenizer. The pressure range in this review is in between 10-500 MPa. The homogenised droplet sizes can be reduced by increasing the homogenization recirculation, and there is a threshold point beyond that by applying pressure only, the size cannot be further reduced. Normally, homogenised emulsions are classified by their degree of kinetic stability. Dispersed phase present in the form of droplets while continuous phase also known as suspended droplets. With a proper homogenization recirculation and pressure, a more kinetically stable emulsion can be produced. The side effects of increasing homogenization pressure are that it can cause overprocessing of the emulsion droplets where the droplet sizes become larger rather than the expected smaller size. This can cause kinetic instability in the emulsion. The droplet size is usually measured by dynamic light scattering or by laser light scattering technique. The type of samples used in this reviews are such as chocolate and vanilla based powders; mean droplet sizes samples; basil oil; tomato; lupin protein; oil; skim milk, soymilk; coconut milk; tomato homogenate; corn; egg-yolk, rapeseed and sunflower; Poly(4-vinylpyridine/silica; and Complex 1 until complex 4 approaches from author case study. A relationship is developed between emulsion size and pH. Results clearly show that lower pH offers smaller droplet of emulsion and the opposite occurs when the pH is increased.

Electrostatic field and charge distribution in small charged dielectric droplets

Science.gov (United States)

Storozhev, V. B.

2004-08-01

The charge distribution in small dielectric droplets is calculated on the basis of continuum medium approximation. There are considered charged liquid spherical droplets of methanol in the range of nanometer sizes. The problem is solved by the following way. We find the free energy of some ion in dielectric droplet, which is a function of distribution of other ions in the droplet. The probability of location of the ion in some element of volume in the droplet is a function of its free energy in this element of volume. The same approach can be applied to other ions in the droplet. The obtained charge distribution differs considerably from the surface distribution. The curve of the charge distribution in the droplet as a function of radius has maximum near the surface. Relative concentration of charges in the vicinity of the center of the droplet does not equal to zero, and it is the higher, the less is the total charge of the droplet. According to the estimates the model is applicable if the droplet radius is larger than 10 nm.

Electrostatic field and charge distribution in small charged dielectric droplets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Storozhev, V.B.

2004-01-01

The charge distribution in small dielectric droplets is calculated on the basis of continuum medium approximation. There are considered charged liquid spherical droplets of methanol in the range of nanometer sizes. The problem is solved by the following way. We find the free energy of some ion in dielectric droplet, which is a function of distribution of other ions in the droplet. The probability of location of the ion in some element of volume in the droplet is a function of its free energy in this element of volume. The same approach can be applied to other ions in the droplet. The obtained charge distribution differs considerably from the surface distribution. The curve of the charge distribution in the droplet as a function of radius has maximum near the surface. Relative concentration of charges in the vicinity of the center of the droplet does not equal to zero, and it is the higher, the less is the total charge of the droplet. According to the estimates the model is applicable if the droplet radius is larger than 10 nm

Sensitive and predictable separation of microfluidic droplets by size using in-line passive filter.

Science.gov (United States)

Ding, Ruihua; Ung, W Lloyd; Heyman, John A; Weitz, David A

2017-01-01

Active manipulation of droplets is crucial in droplet microfluidics. However, droplet polydispersity decreases the accuracy of active manipulation. We develop a microfluidic "droplet filter" that accurately separates droplets by size. The droplet filter has a sharp size cutoff and is capable of distinguishing droplets differing in volume by 20%. A simple model explains the behavior of the droplets as they pass through the filter. We show application of the filter in improving dielectric sorting efficiency.

Droplet size in flow: Theoretical model and application to polymer blends

Science.gov (United States)

Fortelný, Ivan; Jůza, Josef

2017-05-01

The paper is focused on prediction of the average droplet radius, R, in flowing polymer blends where the droplet size is determined by dynamic equilibrium between the droplet breakup and coalescence. Expressions for the droplet breakup frequency in systems with low and high contents of the dispersed phase are derived using available theoretical and experimental results for model blends. Dependences of the coalescence probability, Pc, on system parameters, following from recent theories, is considered and approximate equation for Pc in a system with a low polydispersity in the droplet size is proposed. Equations for R in systems with low and high contents of the dispersed phase are derived. Combination of these equations predicts realistic dependence of R on the volume fraction of dispersed droplets, φ. Theoretical prediction of the ratio of R to the critical droplet radius at breakup agrees fairly well with experimental values for steadily mixed polymer blends.

Size control of giant unilamellar vesicles prepared from inverted emulsion droplets.

Science.gov (United States)

Nishimura, Kazuya; Suzuki, Hiroaki; Toyota, Taro; Yomo, Tetsuya

2012-06-15

The production of giant lipid vesicles with controlled size and structure will be an important technology in the design of quantitative biological assays in cell-mimetic microcompartments. For establishing size control of giant vesicles, we investigated the vesicle formation process, in which inverted emulsion droplets are transformed into giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) when they pass through an oil/water interface. The relationship between the size of the template emulsion and the converted GUVs was studied using inverted emulsion droplets with a narrow size distribution, which were prepared by microfluidics. We successfully found an appropriate centrifugal acceleration condition to obtain GUVs that had a desired size and narrow-enough size distribution with an improved yield so that emulsion droplets can become the template for GUVs. Crown Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Towards droplet size-aware biochemical application compilation for AM-EWOD biochips

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pop, Paul; Alistar, Mirela

2015-01-01

a droplet size-aware compilation by proposing a routing algorithm that considers the droplet size. Our routing algorithm is developed for a novel digital microfluidic biochip architecture based on Active Matrix Electrowetting on Dielectric, which uses a thin film transistor array for the electrodes. We also...

Magnetic Properties of Nanometer-sized Crystalline and Amorphous Particles

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mørup, Steen; Bødker, Franz; Hansen, Mikkel Fougt

1997-01-01

Amorphous transition metal-metalloid alloy particles can be prepared by chemical preparation techniques. We discuss the preparation of transition metal-boron and iron-carbon particles and their magnetic properties. Nanometer-sized particles of both crystalline and amorphous magnetic materials...... are superparamagnetic at finite temperatures. The temperature dependence of the superparamagnetic relaxation time and the influence of inter-particle interactions is discussed. Finally, some examples of studies of surface magnetization of alpha-Fe particles are presented....

A Nanometer Aerosol Size Analyzer (nASA) for Rapid Measurement of High-concentration Size Distributions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han, H.-S.; Chen, D.-R.; Pui, David Y.H.; Anderson, Bruce E.

2000-01-01

We have developed a fast-response nanometer aerosol size analyzer (nASA) that is capable of scanning 30 size channels between 3 and 100 nm in a total time of 3 s. The analyzer includes a bipolar charger (Po 210 ), an extended-length nanometer differential mobility analyzer (Nano-DMA), and an electrometer (TSI 3068). This combination of components provides particle size spectra at a scan rate of 0.1 s per channel free of uncertainties caused by response-time-induced smearing. The nASA thus offers a fast response for aerosol size distribution measurements in high-concentration conditions and also eliminates the need for applying a de-smearing algorithm to resulting data. In addition, because of its thermodynamically stable means of particle detection, the nASA is useful for applications requiring measurements over a broad range of sample pressures and temperatures. Indeed, experimental transfer functions determined for the extended-length Nano-DMA using the tandem differential mobility analyzer (TDMA) technique indicate the nASA provides good size resolution at pressures as low as 200 Torr. Also, as was demonstrated in tests to characterize the soot emissions from the J85-GE engine of a T-38 aircraft, the broad dynamic concentration range of the nASA makes it particularly suitable for studies of combustion or particle formation processes. Further details of the nASA performance as well as results from calibrations, laboratory tests and field applications are presented below

Aerosol indirect effect from turbulence-induced broadening of cloud-droplet size distributions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chandrakar, Kamal Kant; Cantrell, Will; Chang, Kelken; Ciochetto, David; Niedermeier, Dennis; Ovchinnikov, Mikhail; Shaw, Raymond A.; Yang, Fan

2016-11-28

The influence of aerosol concentration on cloud droplet size distribution is investigated in a laboratory chamber that enables turbulent cloud formation through moist convection. The experiments allow steady-state microphysics to be achieved, with aerosol input balanced by cloud droplet growth and fallout. As aerosol concentration is increased the cloud droplet mean diameter decreases as expected, but the width of the size distribution also decreases sharply. The aerosol input allows for cloud generation in the limiting regimes of fast microphysics (τ_c < τ_t) for high aerosol concentration, and slow microphysics (τ_c > τ_t) for low aerosol concentration; here, τ_c is the phase relaxation time and τ_t is the turbulence correlation time. The increase in the width of the droplet size distribution for the low aerosol limit is consistent with larger variability of supersaturation due to the slow microphysical response. A stochastic differential equation for supersaturation predicts that the standard deviation of the squared droplet radius should increase linearly with a system time scale defined as τ_s^-1 =τ_c^-1 + τ_t^-1, and the measurements are in excellent agreement with this finding. This finding underscores the importance of droplet size dispersion for the aerosol indirect effect: increasing aerosol concentration not only suppresses precipitation formation through reduction of the mean droplet diameter, but perhaps more importantly, through narrowing of the droplet size distribution due to reduced supersaturation fluctuations. Supersaturation fluctuations in the low aerosol / slow microphysics limit are likely of leading importance for precipitation formation.

Mechanism of the superior mechanical strength of nanometer-sized metal single crystals revealed

KAUST Repository

Afify, N. D.; Salem, H. G.; Yavari, A.; El Sayed, Tamer S.

2013-01-01

Clear understanding of the superior mechanical strength of nanometer-sized metal single crystals is required to derive advanced mechanical components retaining such superiority. Although high quality studies have been reported on nano

Micrometer-sized TPM emulsion droplets with surface-mobile binding groups

Science.gov (United States)

van der Wel, Casper; van de Stolpe, Guido L.; Verweij, Ruben W.; Kraft, Daniela J.

2018-03-01

Colloids coated with lipid membranes have been widely employed for fundamental studies of lipid membrane processes, biotechnological applications such as drug delivery and biosensing, and more recently, for self-assembly. The latter has been made possible by inserting DNA oligomers with covalently linked hydrophobic anchors into the membrane. The lateral mobility of the DNA linkers on micrometer-sized droplets and solid particles has opened the door to creating structures with unprecedented structural flexibility. Here, we investigate micro-emulsions of TPM (3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl methacrylate) as a platform for lipid monolayers and further functionalization with proteins and DNA oligonucleotides. TPM droplets can be produced with a narrow size distribution and are polymerizable, thus providing supports for model lipid membranes with controlled size and curvature. With fluorescence recovery after photobleaching, we observed that droplet-attached lipids, NeutrAvidin proteins, as well as DNA oligonucleotides all show mobility on the surface. We explored the assembly of micron-sized particles on TPM-droplets by exploiting either avidin-biotin interactions or double-stranded DNA with complementary single-stranded end groups. While the single molecules are mobile, the particles that are attached to them are not. We propose that this is caused by the heterogeneous nature of emulsified TPM, which forms an oligomer network that limits the collective motion of linkers, but allows the surface mobility of individual molecules.

Velocity and size distribution measurement of suspension droplets using PDPA technique

Science.gov (United States)

Amiri, Shahin; Akbarnozari, Ali; Moreau, Christian; Dolatabadi, Ali

2015-11-01

The creation of fine and uniform droplets from a bulk of liquid is a vital process in a variety of engineering applications, such as atomization in suspension plasma spray (SPS) in which the submicron coating materials are injected to the plasma gas through the suspension droplets. The size and velocity of these droplets has a great impact on the interaction of the suspension with the gas flow emanating from a plasma torch and can consequently affect the mechanical and chemical properties of the resultant coatings. In the current study, an aqueous suspension of small glass particles (2-8 μm) was atomized by utilizing an effervescent atomizer of 1 mm orifice diameter which involves bubbling gas (air) directly into the liquid stream. The gas to liquid ratio (GLR) was kept constant at 6% throughout this study. The mass concentration of glass particles varied in the range between 0.5 to 5% in order to investigate the effect of suspension viscosity and surface tension on the droplet characteristics, such as velocity and size distributions. These characteristics were simultaneously measured by using a non-intrusive optical technique, Phase Doppler Particle Anemometry (PDPA), which is based on the light signal scattered from the droplets moving in a measurement volume. The velocity and size distribution of suspension droplets were finally compared to those of distilled water under identical conditions. The results showed a different atomization behaviors due to the reduction in surface tension of the suspension spray.

Numerical analyses of flashing jet structure and droplet size characteristics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duan Riqiang; Jiang Shengyao; Koshizuka, Seiichi; Oka, Yoshiaki; Yamaguchi, Akira; Takata, Takashi

2006-01-01

In this paper, flashing jets are numerically simulated using the MPS method. The boiling mode for flashing is identified as surface boiling mode, based on the postulation of jets from a short nozzle under high depressurization. The Homogeneous Non-equilibrium Relaxation Model (HRM) is used for calculating the evaporation rate of flashing. The numerical simulation results show that flashing jets comprise an inner intact core which is surrounded by two-phase droplet flow. The effect of degree of superheat on the jet topological geometry is investigated. With increasing degree of superheat, the topological shape of flashing jets evolves from cylindrical core for low degree of superheat to cone-shaped core for high degree of superheat, and meanwhile the extinction length comes to decrease and tends asymptotically constant as the injection temperature approaches the saturation temperature corresponding to the injection pressure. The analyses of the droplet size distribution engendered from primary breakup of flashing jets show that: two peaks exist for droplet size distribution at lower degree of superheat; however, merely one peak for higher degree of superheat. From droplet size distribution, it is revealed that the primary breakup mechanism of flashing jets can be attributed to dominant mechanical breakup mode plus enhancement via surface evaporation. (author)

Distribution of droplet sizes for seed solution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marwah, R.K.; Dixit, N.S.; Venkataramani, N.; Rohatgi, V.K.

In open cycle MHD power generation, power is generated by passing seeded hot combustion products of a fossil fuel through a magnetic field. Seeding is done with a salt which is readily ionizable, preferably in the form of an aqueous solution, such as potassium carbonate, potassium sulphate, etc. Methods of atomization and the theoretical drop size calculations are presented. Basic parameters necessary for droplet size determination and their measurement are also described. (K.B.)

Droplet size characteristics and energy input requirements of emulsions formed using high-intensity-pulsed electric fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scott, T.C.; Sisson, W.G.

1987-01-01

Experimental methods have been developed to measure droplet size characteristics and energy inputs associated with the rupture of aqueous droplets by high-intensity-pulsed electric fields. The combination of in situ microscope optics and high-speed video cameras allows reliable observation of liquid droplets down to 0.5 μm in size. Videotapes of electric-field-created emulsions reveal that average droplet sizes of less than 5 μm are easily obtained in such systems. Analysis of the energy inputs into the fluids indicates that the electric field method requires less than 1% of the energy required from mechanical agitation to create comparable droplet sizes. 11 refs., 3 figs., 2 tabs

O the Size Dependence of the Chemical Properties of Cloud Droplets: Exploratory Studies by Aircraft

Science.gov (United States)

Twohy, Cynthia H.

1992-09-01

Clouds play an important role in the climate of the earth and in the transport and transformation of chemical species, but many questions about clouds remain unanswered. In particular, the chemical properties of droplets may vary with droplet size, with potentially important consequences. The counterflow virtual impactor (CVI) separates droplets from interstitial particles and gases in a cloud and also can collect droplets in discrete size ranges. As such, the CVI is a useful tool for investigating the chemical components present in droplets of different sizes and their potential interactions with cloud processes. The purpose of this work is twofold. First, the sampling characteristics of the airborne CVI are investigated, using data from a variety of experiments. A thorough understanding of CVI properties is necessary in order to utilize the acquired data judiciously and effectively. Although the impaction characteristics of the CVI seem to be predictable by theory, the airborne instrument is subject to influences that may result in a reduced transmission efficiency for droplets, particularly if the inlet is not properly aligned. Ways to alleviate this problem are being investigated, but currently the imperfect sampling efficiency must be taken into account during data interpretation. Relationships between the physical and chemical properties of residual particles from droplets collected by the CVI and droplet size are then explored in both stratiform and cumulus clouds. The effects of various cloud processes and measurement limitations upon these relationships are discussed. In one study, chemical analysis of different -sized droplets sampled in stratiform clouds showed a dependence of chemical composition on droplet size, with larger droplets containing higher proportions of sodium than non-sea-salt sulfate and ammonium. Larger droplets were also associated with larger residual particles, as expected from simple cloud nucleation theory. In a study of marine

Cryogen spray cooling: Effects of droplet size and spray density on heat removal.

Science.gov (United States)

Pikkula, B M; Torres, J H; Tunnell, J W; Anvari, B

2001-01-01

Cryogen spray cooling (CSC) is an effective method to reduce or eliminate non-specific injury to the epidermis during laser treatment of various dermatological disorders. In previous CSC investigations, fuel injectors have been used to deliver the cryogen onto the skin surface. The objective of this study was to examine cryogen atomization and heat removal characteristics of various cryogen delivery devices. Various cryogen delivery device types including fuel injectors, atomizers, and a device currently used in clinical settings were investigated. Cryogen mass was measured at the delivery device output orifice. Cryogen droplet size profiling for various cryogen delivery devices was estimated by optically imaging the droplets in flight. Heat removal for various cryogen delivery devices was estimated over a range of spraying distances by temperature measurements in an skin phantom used in conjunction with an inverse heat conduction model. A substantial range of mass outputs were measured for the cryogen delivery devices while heat removal varied by less than a factor of two. Droplet profiling demonstrated differences in droplet size and spray density. Results of this study show that variation in heat removal by different cryogen delivery devices is modest despite the relatively large difference in cryogen mass output and droplet size. A non-linear relationship between heat removal by various devices and droplet size and spray density was observed. Copyright 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Observation of Droplet Size Oscillations in a Two-Phase Fluid under Shear Flow

Science.gov (United States)

Courbin, Laurent; Panizza, Pascal; Salmon, Jean-Baptiste

2004-01-01

Experimental observations of droplet size sustained oscillations are reported in a two-phase flow between a lamellar and a sponge phase. Under shear flow, this system presents two different steady states made of monodisperse multilamellar droplets, separated by a shear-thinning transition. At low and high shear rates, the droplet size results from a balance between surface tension and viscous stress, whereas for intermediate shear rates it becomes a periodic function of time. A possible mechanism for such kinds of oscillations is discussed.

Measuring Spray Droplet Size from Agricultural Nozzles Using Laser Diffraction

Science.gov (United States)

Fritz, Bradley K.; Hoffmann, W. Clint

2016-01-01

When making an application of any crop protection material such as an herbicide or pesticide, the applicator uses a variety of skills and information to make an application so that the material reaches the target site (i.e., plant). Information critical in this process is the droplet size that a particular spray nozzle, spray pressure, and spray solution combination generates, as droplet size greatly influences product efficacy and how the spray moves through the environment. Researchers and product manufacturers commonly use laser diffraction equipment to measure the spray droplet size in laboratory wind tunnels. The work presented here describes methods used in making spray droplet size measurements with laser diffraction equipment for both ground and aerial application scenarios that can be used to ensure inter- and intra-laboratory precision while minimizing sampling bias associated with laser diffraction systems. Maintaining critical measurement distances and concurrent airflow throughout the testing process is key to this precision. Real time data quality analysis is also critical to preventing excess variation in the data or extraneous inclusion of erroneous data. Some limitations of this method include atypical spray nozzles, spray solutions or application conditions that result in spray streams that do not fully atomize within the measurement distances discussed. Successful adaption of this method can provide a highly efficient method for evaluation of the performance of agrochemical spray application nozzles under a variety of operational settings. Also discussed are potential experimental design considerations that can be included to enhance functionality of the data collected. PMID:27684589

Measurements of the size dependence of the concentration of nonvolatile material in fog droplets

Science.gov (United States)

Ogren, J. A.; Noone, K. J.; Hallberg, A.; Heintzenberg, J.; Schell, D.; Berner, A.; Solly, I.; Kruisz, C.; Reischl, G.; Arends, B. G.; Wobrock, W.

1992-11-01

Measurements of the size dependence of the mass concentration of nonvolatile material dissolved and suspended in fog droplets were obtained with three complementary approaches, covering a size range from c. 1 50µm diameter: a counterflow virtual impactor, an eight-stage aerosol impactor, and a two-stage fogwater impactor. Concentrations were observed to decrease with size over the entire range, contrary to expectations of increasing concentrations at larger sizes. It is possible that the larger droplets had solute concentrations that increased with increasing size, but that the increase was too weak for the measurements to resolve. Future studies should consider the hypothesis that the droplets were coated with a surface-active substance that hindered their uptake of water.

Retrieval of cloud droplet size distribution parameters from polarized reflectance measurements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Alexandrov

2011-09-01

Full Text Available We present an algorithm for retrieval of cloud droplet size distribution parameters (effective radius and variance from the Research Scanning Polarimeter (RSP measurements. The RSP is an airborne prototype for the Aerosol Polarimetery Sensor (APS, which is due to be launched as part of the NASA Glory Project. This instrument measures both polarized and total reflectances in 9 spectral channels with center wavelengths ranging from 410 to 2250 nm. For cloud droplet size retrievals we utilize the polarized reflectances in the scattering angle range between 140 and 170 degrees where they exhibit rainbow. The shape of the rainbow is determined mainly by single-scattering properties of the cloud particles, that simplifies the inversions and reduces retrieval uncertainties. The retrieval algorithm was tested using realistically simulated cloud radiation fields. Our retrievals of cloud droplet sizes from actual RSP measurements made during two recent field campaigns were compared with the correlative in situ observations.

Observation of Droplet Size Oscillations in a Two Phase Fluid under Shear Flow

Science.gov (United States)

Courbin, Laurent; Panizza, Pascal

2004-11-01

It is well known that complex fluids exhibit strong couplings between their microstructure and the flow field. Such couplings may lead to unusual non linear rheological behavior. Because energy is constantly brought to the system, richer dynamic behavior such as non linear oscillatory or chaotic response is expected. We report on the observation of droplet size oscillations at fixed shear rate. At low shear rates, we observe two steady states for which the droplet size results from a balance between capillary and viscous stress. For intermediate shear rates, the droplet size becomes a periodic function of time. We propose a phenomenological model to account for the observed phenomenon and compare numerical results to experimental data.

Effects of emulsion droplet sizes on the crystallisation of milk fat.

Science.gov (United States)

Truong, Tuyen; Bansal, Nidhi; Sharma, Ranjan; Palmer, Martin; Bhandari, Bhesh

2014-02-15

The crystallisation properties of milk fat emulsions containing dairy-based ingredients as functions of emulsion droplet size, cooling rate, and emulsifier type were investigated using a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). Anhydrous milk fat and its fractions (stearin and olein) were emulsified with whey protein concentrate, sodium caseinate, and Tween80 by homogenisation to produce emulsions in various size ranges (0.13-3.10 μm). Particle size, cooling rate, and types of emulsifier all had an influence on the crystallisation properties of fat in the emulsions. In general, the crystallisation temperature of emulsified fats decreased with decreasing average droplet size and was of an exponent function of size, indicating that the influence of particle size on crystallisation temperature is more pronounced in the sub-micron range. This particle size effect was also verified by electron microscopy. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Consolidation of nanometer-sized aluminum single crystals: Microstructure and defects evolutions

KAUST Repository

Afify, N. D.

2014-04-01

Deriving bulk materials with ultra-high mechanical strength from nanometer-sized single metalic crystals depends on the consolidation procedure. We present an accurate molecular dynamics study to quantify microstructure responses to consolidation. Aluminum single crystals with an average size up to 10.7 nm were hydrostatically compressed at temperatures up to 900 K and pressures up to 5 GPa. The consolidated material developed an average grain size that grew exponentially with the consolidation temperature, with a growth rate dependent on the starting average grain size and the consolidation pressure. The evolution of the microstructure was accompanied by a significant reduction in the concentration of defects. The ratio of vacancies to dislocation cores decreased with the average grain size and then increased after reaching a critical average grain size. The deformation mechanisms of poly-crystalline metals can be better understood in the light of the current findings. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Consolidation of nanometer-sized aluminum single crystals: Microstructure and defects evolutions

KAUST Repository

Afify, N. D.; Salem, H. G.; Yavari, A.; El Sayed, Tamer S.

2014-01-01

Deriving bulk materials with ultra-high mechanical strength from nanometer-sized single metalic crystals depends on the consolidation procedure. We present an accurate molecular dynamics study to quantify microstructure responses to consolidation. Aluminum single crystals with an average size up to 10.7 nm were hydrostatically compressed at temperatures up to 900 K and pressures up to 5 GPa. The consolidated material developed an average grain size that grew exponentially with the consolidation temperature, with a growth rate dependent on the starting average grain size and the consolidation pressure. The evolution of the microstructure was accompanied by a significant reduction in the concentration of defects. The ratio of vacancies to dislocation cores decreased with the average grain size and then increased after reaching a critical average grain size. The deformation mechanisms of poly-crystalline metals can be better understood in the light of the current findings. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Nanometer-size surface modification produced by single, low energy, highly charged ions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stockli, M.P.

1994-01-01

Atomically flat surfaces of insulators have been bombarded with low energy, highly charged ions to search for nanometer-size surface modifications. It is expected that the high electron deficiency of highly charged ions will capture and/or remove many of the insulator's localized electrons when impacting on an insulating surface. The resulting local electron deficiency is expected to locally disintegrate the insulator through a open-quotes Coulomb explosionclose quotes forming nanometer-size craters. Xe ions with charge states between 10+ and 45+ and kinetic energies between 0 and 10 keV/q were obtained from the KSU-CRYEBIS, a CRYogenic Electron Beam Ion Source and directed onto various insulating materials. Mica was favored as target material as atomically flat surfaces can be obtained reliably through cleaving. However, the authors observations with an atomic force microscope have shown that mica tends to defoliate locally rather than disintegrate, most likely due to the small binding forces between adjacent layers. So far the authors measurements indicate that each ion produces one blister if the charge state is sufficiently high. The blistering does not seem to depend very much on the kinetic energy of the ions

Stable water isotopologue ratios in fog and cloud droplets of liquid clouds are not size-dependent

Science.gov (United States)

Spiegel, J.K.; Aemisegger, F.; Scholl, M.; Wienhold, F.G.; Collett, J.L.; Lee, T.; van Pinxteren, D.; Mertes, S.; Tilgner, A.; Herrmann, H.; Werner, Roland A.; Buchmann, N.; Eugster, W.

2012-01-01

In this work, we present the first observations of stable water isotopologue ratios in cloud droplets of different sizes collected simultaneously. We address the question whether the isotope ratio of droplets in a liquid cloud varies as a function of droplet size. Samples were collected from a ground intercepted cloud (= fog) during the Hill Cap Cloud Thuringia 2010 campaign (HCCT-2010) using a three-stage Caltech Active Strand Cloud water Collector (CASCC). An instrument test revealed that no artificial isotopic fractionation occurs during sample collection with the CASCC. Furthermore, we could experimentally confirm the hypothesis that the δ values of cloud droplets of the relevant droplet sizes (μm-range) were not significantly different and thus can be assumed to be in isotopic equilibrium immediately with the surrounding water vapor. However, during the dissolution period of the cloud, when the supersaturation inside the cloud decreased and the cloud began to clear, differences in isotope ratios of the different droplet sizes tended to be larger. This is likely to result from the cloud's heterogeneity, implying that larger and smaller cloud droplets have been collected at different moments in time, delivering isotope ratios from different collection times.

Stable water isotopologue ratios in fog and cloud droplets of liquid clouds are not size-dependent

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. K. Spiegel

2012-10-01

Full Text Available In this work, we present the first observations of stable water isotopologue ratios in cloud droplets of different sizes collected simultaneously. We address the question whether the isotope ratio of droplets in a liquid cloud varies as a function of droplet size. Samples were collected from a ground intercepted cloud (= fog during the Hill Cap Cloud Thuringia 2010 campaign (HCCT-2010 using a three-stage Caltech Active Strand Cloud water Collector (CASCC. An instrument test revealed that no artificial isotopic fractionation occurs during sample collection with the CASCC. Furthermore, we could experimentally confirm the hypothesis that the δ values of cloud droplets of the relevant droplet sizes (μm-range were not significantly different and thus can be assumed to be in isotopic equilibrium immediately with the surrounding water vapor. However, during the dissolution period of the cloud, when the supersaturation inside the cloud decreased and the cloud began to clear, differences in isotope ratios of the different droplet sizes tended to be larger. This is likely to result from the cloud's heterogeneity, implying that larger and smaller cloud droplets have been collected at different moments in time, delivering isotope ratios from different collection times.

Wetting at the nanometer scale: effects of long-range forces and substrate heterogeneities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Checco, Antonio

2003-01-01

Wetting phenomena on the nano-scale remain poorly understood in spite of their growing theoretical and practical interest. In this context, the present work aimed at studying partial wetting of nanometer-sized alkane droplets on 'model' surfaces build by self-assembly of organic monolayers. For this purpose a novel technique, based on 'noncontact' Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), has been developed to image, with minimal artefacts, drops of adjustable size directly condensed on so- lid surfaces. We have thus shown that contact angle of alkanes, wetting a weakly heterogeneous, silanized substrate, noticeably decreases from its macroscopic value for droplets sizes in the submicron range. The line tension, arising in this case from purely dispersive long-range interactions between the liquid and the substrate, is theoretically too weak to be responsible for the observed effect. Therefore we have supposed that contact angle is affected by mesoscopic chemical heterogeneities of the substrate whenever the droplets size becomes sufficiently small. This scenario has been supported by numerical simulations based on a simplified model of the spatial distribution of surface defects. Similar experiments, performed on different substrates (monolayers made of alkane-thiols self-assembled on gold and of alkyl chains covalently bound onto a silicon surface), have also shown that wetting on small scales is strongly affected by minimal physical and chemical surface heterogeneities. Finally, to provide further examples of the potential of the above mentioned AFM technique, we have studied the wettability of nano-structured surfaces and the local wetting properties of hair. (author) [fr

Nanometer size wear debris generated from ultra high molecular weight polyethylene in vivo

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Lapčíková, Monika; Šlouf, Miroslav; Dybal, Jiří; Zolotarevova, E.; Entlicher, G.; Pokorný, D.; Gallo, J.; Sosna, A.

2009-01-01

Roč. 266, 1-2 (2009), s. 349-355 ISSN 0043-1648 R&D Projects: GA MŠk 2B06096 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z40500505 Keywords : ultra high molecular weight polyethylene * nanometer size wear debris * morphology of wear particles Subject RIV: CD - Macromolecular Chemistry Impact factor: 1.771, year: 2009

Volume-of-fluid simulations in microfluidic T-junction devices: Influence of viscosity ratio on droplet size

Science.gov (United States)

Nekouei, Mehdi; Vanapalli, Siva A.

2017-03-01

We used volume-of-fluid (VOF) method to perform three-dimensional numerical simulations of droplet formation of Newtonian fluids in microfluidic T-junction devices. To evaluate the performance of the VOF method we examined the regimes of drop formation and determined droplet size as a function of system parameters. Comparison of the simulation results with four sets of experimental data from the literature showed good agreement, validating the VOF method. Motivated by the lack of adequate studies investigating the influence of viscosity ratio (λ) on the generated droplet size, we mapped the dependence of drop volume on capillary number (0.001 1. In addition, we find that at a given capillary number, the size of droplets does not vary appreciably when λ 1. We develop an analytical model for predicting the droplet size that includes a viscosity-dependent breakup time for the dispersed phase. This improved model successfully predicts the effects of the viscosity ratio observed in simulations. Results from this study are useful for the design of lab-on-chip technologies and manufacture of microfluidic emulsions, where there is a need to know how system parameters influence the droplet size.

Arrested of coalescence of emulsion droplets of arbitrary size

Science.gov (United States)

Mbanga, Badel L.; Burke, Christopher; Blair, Donald W.; Atherton, Timothy J.

2013-03-01

With applications ranging from food products to cosmetics via targeted drug delivery systems, structured anisotropic colloids provide an efficient way to control the structure, properties and functions of emulsions. When two fluid emulsion droplets are brought in contact, a reduction of the interfacial tension drives their coalescence into a larger droplet of the same total volume and reduced exposed area. This coalescence can be partially or totally hindered by the presence of nano or micron-size particles that coat the interface as in Pickering emulsions. We investigate numerically the dependance of the mechanical stability of these arrested shapes on the particles size, their shape anisotropy, their polydispersity, their interaction with the solvent, and the particle-particle interactions. We discuss structural shape changes that can be induced by tuning the particles interactions after arrest occurs, and provide design parameters for the relevant experiments.

Nanometer scale materials - characterization and fabrication

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Murday, J.S.; Colton, R.J.; Rath, B.B.

1993-01-01

Materials and solid state scientists have made excellent progress in understanding material behavior in length scales from microns to meters. Below a micron, the lack of analytical prowess has been a deterrent. At the atomic scale, chemistry and atomic/molecular physics have also contributed significant understanding of matter. The maturity of these three communities, materials, solid state physics, atomic/molecular physics/chemistry, coupled with the development of analytical capability for nanometer-sized structures, promises to broaden our grasp of materials behavior into the last realm of unexplored size scales-nanometer. The motivation for this effort is driven both by the expectation of novel properties as well as by the potential solution to long standing technological issues. Critical scale lengths for many material properties fall in the nanometer range, examples include superconductor coherence lengths, electron inelastic mean free paths, electron wavelengths in solids, critical lengths for dislocation generation. Structures of nanometer size will undoubtedly show behavior unexpected from experience at the larger and smaller scales. Many technological problems such as adhesion, friction, corrosion, elasticity and fracture are believed to depend critically on nanometer scale phenomena. The millennia-old efforts to improve materials behavior have undoubtedly been slowed by our inability to 'observe' in this size range. (orig.)

The voltammetric responses of nanometer-sized electrodes in weakly supported electrolyte: A theoretical study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Yuwen; Zhang Qianfan; Chen Shengli

2010-01-01

The effect of the supporting electrolyte concentration on the interfacial profiles and voltammetric responses of nanometer-sized disk electrodes have been investigated theoretically by combining the Poisson-Nernst-Planck (PNP) theory and Butler-Volmer (BV) equation. The PNP-theory is used to treat the nonlinear couplings of electric field, concentration field and dielectric field at electrochemical interface without the electroneutrality assumption that has been long adopted in various voltammetric theories for macro/microelectrodes. The BV equation is modified by using the Frumkin correction to account for the effect of the diffuse double layer potential on interfacial electron-transfer (ET) rate and by including a distance-dependent ET probability in the expression of rate constant to describe the radial heterogeneity of the ET rate constant at nanometer-sized disk electrodes. The computed voltammetric responses for disk electrodes larger than 200 nm in radii in the absence of the excess of the supporting electrolyte using the present theoretical scheme show reasonable agreements with the predications of the conventional microelectrode voltammetric theory which uses the combined Nernst-Planck equation and electroneutrality equation to describe the mixed electromigration-diffusion mass transport without including the possible effects of the diffuse double layer (Amatore et al. ). For electrodes smaller than 200 nm, however, the voltammetric responses predicated by the present theory exhibit significant deviation from the microelectrode theory. It is shown that the deviations are mainly resulted from the overlap between the diffuse double layer and the concentration depletion layer (CDL) at nanoscale electrochemical interfaces in weakly supported media, which will result in the invalidation of the electroneutrality condition in CDL, and from the radial inhomogeneity of ET probability at nanometer-sized disk electrodes.

The voltammetric responses of nanometer-sized electrodes in weakly supported electrolyte: A theoretical study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu Yuwen; Zhang Qianfan [Hubei Electrochemical Power Sources Key Laboratory, Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Biology and Medicine (Ministry of Education), Department of Chemistry, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072 (China); Chen Shengli, E-mail: slchen@whu.edu.c [Hubei Electrochemical Power Sources Key Laboratory, Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Biology and Medicine (Ministry of Education), Department of Chemistry, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072 (China)

2010-11-30

The effect of the supporting electrolyte concentration on the interfacial profiles and voltammetric responses of nanometer-sized disk electrodes have been investigated theoretically by combining the Poisson-Nernst-Planck (PNP) theory and Butler-Volmer (BV) equation. The PNP-theory is used to treat the nonlinear couplings of electric field, concentration field and dielectric field at electrochemical interface without the electroneutrality assumption that has been long adopted in various voltammetric theories for macro/microelectrodes. The BV equation is modified by using the Frumkin correction to account for the effect of the diffuse double layer potential on interfacial electron-transfer (ET) rate and by including a distance-dependent ET probability in the expression of rate constant to describe the radial heterogeneity of the ET rate constant at nanometer-sized disk electrodes. The computed voltammetric responses for disk electrodes larger than 200 nm in radii in the absence of the excess of the supporting electrolyte using the present theoretical scheme show reasonable agreements with the predications of the conventional microelectrode voltammetric theory which uses the combined Nernst-Planck equation and electroneutrality equation to describe the mixed electromigration-diffusion mass transport without including the possible effects of the diffuse double layer (Amatore et al. ). For electrodes smaller than 200 nm, however, the voltammetric responses predicated by the present theory exhibit significant deviation from the microelectrode theory. It is shown that the deviations are mainly resulted from the overlap between the diffuse double layer and the concentration depletion layer (CDL) at nanoscale electrochemical interfaces in weakly supported media, which will result in the invalidation of the electroneutrality condition in CDL, and from the radial inhomogeneity of ET probability at nanometer-sized disk electrodes.

Supercooling release of micro-size water droplets on microporous surfaces with cooling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Chun Wan; Kang, Chae Dong [Chonbuk National University, Jeonju (Korea, Republic of)

2012-06-15

The gas diffusion layer (GDL) of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells plays a key role in controlling moisture in these cells. When the GDL is exposed to a cold environment, the water droplets or water nets in the GDL freeze. This work observed the supercooling and freezing behaviors of water droplets under low temperature. A GDL made of carbon fiber was coated with a waterproof material with 0%, 40%, and 60% PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) contents. The cooling process was investigated according to temperature, and the water droplets on the GDL were supercooled and frozen. Delay in the supercooling release was correlated with the size of water droplets on the GDL and the coating rate of the layer. Moreover, the supercooling degree of the droplets decreased as the number of freeze thaw cycles in the GDL increased.

Experimental observation of the droplet size change across a wet grid spacer in a 6 × 6 rod bundle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cho, Hyoung Kyu; Choi, Ki Yong; Cho, Seok; Song, Chul-Hwa

2011-01-01

Highlights: ► In this study, an experiment on the droplet behavior inside a heated rod bundle has been performed. ► The experiment was focused on the change of droplet size induced by a spacer grid in a rod bundle. ► The major measuring parameters of the experiment were the droplet size and velocity. ► This test provided the data on the change of the droplet size after collision with a wet grid spacer. - Abstract: During the reflood phase of a postulated loss of coolant accident in a nuclear reactor, entrainment of liquid droplets can occur at a quench front of reflooding water. It is widely recognized that the behavior of the entrained droplets crucially affects the reflood heat transfer phenomena by decreasing the superheated steam temperature and interacting with a rod bundle and spacer grids. For this reason, various experimental and numerical studies have been performed to examine droplet behavior such as the droplet size, velocity and droplet fraction inside a rod array. In this study, an experiment on the droplet behavior inside a heated rod bundle has been performed. The experiment was focused on the change of droplet size induced by a spacer grid in a rod bundle geometry, which results in the change of the interfacial heat transfer between droplets and superheated steam. A 6 × 6 rod bundle test facility in Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute was used for the experiment. Steam was supplied by an external boiler into the bottom of the test channel, and a droplet injection nozzle was equipped instead of simulating a quench front of reflooding water. The major measuring parameters of the experiment were the droplet size and velocity, which were measured by a high-speed camera and a digital image processing technique. A series of experiments were conducted with various flow conditions of a steam injection velocity, heater temperature, droplet size, and droplet flow rate. The experiments provided the data on the change of the Sauter mean diameter of

Sodium leakage and combustion tests. Measurement and distribution of droplet size using various spray nozzles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nagai, Keiichi; Hirabayashi, Masaru; Onojima, T.; Gunji, Minoru; Ara, Kuniaki; Oki, Yoshihisa

1999-04-01

In order to develop a numerical code simulating sodium fires initiated frame dispersion of droplets, measured data of droplet diameter as well as its distribution are needed. In the present experiment the distribution of droplet diameter was measured using water, oil and sodium. The tests elucidated the influential factors with respect to the droplet diameter. In addition, we sought to develop a similarity law between water and sodium. The droplet size distribution of sodium using the large diameter droplet (Elnozzle) was predicted. (J.P.N.)

Strengthening of metallic alloys with nanometer-size oxide dispersions

Science.gov (United States)

Flinn, John E.; Kelly, Thomas F.

1999-01-01

Austenitic stainless steels and nickel-base alloys containing, by wt. %, 0.1 to 3.0% V, 0.01 to 0.08% C, 0.01 to 0.5% N, 0.05% max. each of Al and Ti, and 0.005 to 0.10% O, are strengthened and ductility retained by atomization of a metal melt under cover of an inert gas with added oxygen to form approximately 8 nanometer-size hollow oxides within the alloy grains and, when the alloy is aged, strengthened by precipitation of carbides and nitrides nucleated by the hollow oxides. Added strengthening is achieved by nitrogen solid solution strengthening and by the effect of solid oxides precipitated along and pinning grain boundaries to provide temperature-stabilization and refinement of the alloy grains.

Strengthening of metallic alloys with nanometer-size oxide dispersions

Science.gov (United States)

Flinn, J.E.; Kelly, T.F.

1999-06-01

Austenitic stainless steels and nickel-base alloys containing, by wt. %, 0.1 to 3.0% V, 0.01 to 0.08% C, 0.01 to 0.5% N, 0.05% max. each of Al and Ti, and 0.005 to 0.10% O, are strengthened and ductility retained by atomization of a metal melt under cover of an inert gas with added oxygen to form approximately 8 nanometer-size hollow oxides within the alloy grains and, when the alloy is aged, strengthened by precipitation of carbides and nitrides nucleated by the hollow oxides. Added strengthening is achieved by nitrogen solid solution strengthening and by the effect of solid oxides precipitated along and pinning grain boundaries to provide temperature-stabilization and refinement of the alloy grains. 20 figs.

Size Distribution and Dispersion of Droplets Generated by Impingement of Breaking Waves on Oil Slicks

Science.gov (United States)

Li, C.; Miller, J.; Wang, J.; Koley, S. S.; Katz, J.

2017-10-01

This laboratory experimental study investigates the temporal evolution of the size distribution of subsurface oil droplets generated as breaking waves entrain oil slicks. The measurements are performed for varying wave energy, as well as large variations in oil viscosity and oil-water interfacial tension, the latter achieved by premixing the oil with dispersant. In situ measurements using digital inline holography at two magnifications are applied for measuring the droplet sizes and Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) for determining the temporal evolution of turbulence after wave breaking. All early (2-10 s) size distributions have two distinct size ranges with different slopes. For low dispersant to oil ratios (DOR), the transition between them could be predicted based on a turbulent Weber (We) number in the 2-4 range, suggesting that turbulence plays an important role. For smaller droplets, all the number size distributions have power of about -2.1, and for larger droplets, the power decreases well below -3. The measured steepening of the size distribution over time is predicted by a simple model involving buoyant rise and turbulence dispersion. Conversely, for DOR 1:100 and 1:25 oils, the diameter of slope transition decreases from ˜1 mm to 46 and 14 µm, respectively, much faster than the We-based prediction, and the size distribution steepens with increasing DOR. Furthermore, the concentration of micron-sized droplets of DOR 1:25 oil increases for the first 10 min after entrainment. These phenomena are presumably caused by the observed formation and breakup oil microthreads associated with tip streaming.

Retrieval of collision kernels from the change of droplet size distributions with linear inversion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Onishi, Ryo; Takahashi, Keiko [Earth Simulator Center, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, 3173-25 Showa-machi, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama Kanagawa 236-0001 (Japan); Matsuda, Keigo; Kurose, Ryoichi; Komori, Satoru [Department of Mechanical Engineering and Science, Kyoto University, Yoshida-honmachi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501 (Japan)], E-mail: onishi.ryo@jamstec.go.jp, E-mail: matsuda.keigo@t03.mbox.media.kyoto-u.ac.jp, E-mail: takahasi@jamstec.go.jp, E-mail: kurose@mech.kyoto-u.ac.jp, E-mail: komori@mech.kyoto-u.ac.jp

2008-12-15

We have developed a new simple inversion scheme for retrieving collision kernels from the change of droplet size distribution due to collision growth. Three-dimensional direct numerical simulations (DNS) of steady isotropic turbulence with colliding droplets are carried out in order to investigate the validity of the developed inversion scheme. In the DNS, air turbulence is calculated using a quasi-spectral method; droplet motions are tracked in a Lagrangian manner. The initial droplet size distribution is set to be equivalent to that obtained in a wind tunnel experiment. Collision kernels retrieved by the developed inversion scheme are compared to those obtained by the DNS. The comparison shows that the collision kernels can be retrieved within 15% error. This verifies the feasibility of retrieving collision kernels using the present inversion scheme.

Depositing nanometer-sized particles of metals onto carbon allotropes

Science.gov (United States)

Watson, Kent A. (Inventor); Fallbach, Michael J. (Inventor); Ghose, Sayata (Inventor); Smith, Joseph G. (Inventor); Delozier, Donavon M. (Inventor); Connell, John W. (Inventor)

2010-01-01

A process for depositing nanometer-sized metal particles onto a substrate in the absence of aqueous solvents, organic solvents, and reducing agents, and without any required pre-treatment of the substrate, includes preparing an admixture of a metal compound and a substrate by dry mixing a chosen amount of the metal compound with a chosen amount of the substrate; and supplying energy to the admixture in an amount sufficient to deposit zero valance metal particles onto the substrate. This process gives rise to a number of deposited metallic particle sizes which may be controlled. The compositions prepared by this process are used to produce polymer composites by combining them with readily available commodity and engineering plastics. The polymer composites are used as coatings, or they are used to fabricate articles, such as free-standing films, fibers, fabrics, foams, molded and laminated articles, tubes, adhesives, and fiber reinforced articles. These articles are well-suited for many applications requiring thermal conductivity, electrical conductivity, antibacterial activity, catalytic activity, and combinations thereof.

Seed-mediated synthesis of silver nanocrystals with controlled sizes and shapes in droplet microreactors separated by air.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Lei; Wang, Yi; Tong, Limin; Xia, Younan

2013-12-17

Silver nanocrystals with uniform sizes were synthesized in droplet microreactors through seed-mediated growth. The key to the success of this synthesis is the use of air as a carrier phase to generate the droplets. The air not only separates the reaction solution into droplets but also provides O2 for the generation of reducing agent (glycolaldehyde). It also serves as a buffer space for the diffusion of NO, which is formed in situ due to the oxidative etching of Ag nanocrystals with twin defects. For the first time, we were able to generate Ag nanocrystals with controlled sizes and shapes in continuous production by using droplet microreactors. For Ag nanocubes, their edge lengths could be readily controlled in the range of 30-100 nm by varying the reaction time, the amount of seeds, and the concentration of AgNO3 in the droplets. Furthermore, we demonstrated the synthesis of Ag octahedra in the droplet microreactors. We believe that the air-driven droplet generation device can be extended to other noble metals for the production of nanocrystals with controlled sizes and shapes.

Emulsion oil droplet size significantly affects satiety: A pre-ingestive approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Lett, Aaron M; Norton, Jennifer E; Yeomans, Martin R

2016-01-01

Previous research has demonstrated that the manipulation of oil droplet size within oil-in-water emulsions significantly affects sensory characteristics, hedonics and expectations of food intake, independently of energy content. Smaller oil droplets enhanced perceived creaminess, increased Liking and generated greater expectations of satiation and satiety, indicating that creaminess is a satiety-relevant sensory cue within these systems. This paper extends these findings by investigating the effect of oil droplet size (d4,3: 2 and 50 μm) on food intake and appetite. Male participants (n = 34 aged 18-37; BMI of 22.7 ± 1.6 kg/m(2); DEBQ restricted eating score of 1.8 ± 0.1.) completed two test days, where they visited the laboratory to consume a fixed-portion breakfast, returning 3 h later for a "drink", which was the emulsion preload containing either 2 or 50 μm oil droplets. This was followed 20 min later with an ad libitum pasta lunch. Participants consumed significantly less at the ad libitum lunch after the preload containing 2 μm oil droplets than after the 50 μm preload, with an average reduction of 12% (62.4 kcal). Despite the significant differences in intake, no significant differences in sensory characteristics were noted. The findings show that the impact that an emulsion has on satiety can be enhanced without producing significantly perceivable differences in sensory properties. Therefore, by introducing a processing step which results in a smaller droplets, emulsion based liquid food products can be produced that enhance satiety, allowing covert functional redesign. Future work should consider the mechanism responsible for this effect. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of droplet velocity and size from nasal spray devices using phase Doppler anemometry (PDA).

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Xiaofei; Doub, William H; Guo, Changning

2010-03-30

To determine aerosol deposition during the inhalation drug delivery, it is important to understand the combination of velocity and droplet size together. In this study, phase Doppler anemometry (PDA) was used to simultaneously characterize the aerosol velocity and droplet size distribution (DSD) of three nasal spray pumps filled with water. Thirteen sampling positions were located in the horizontal cross-sectional area of the nasal spray plumes at a distance of 3cm from the pump orifice. The results showed droplet velocities near the center of the spray plume were higher and more consistent than those near the edge. The pumps examined showed significant differences in their aerosol velocity at the center of the spray plume, which suggest that this metric might be used as a discriminating parameter for in vitro testing of nasal sprays. Droplet size measurements performed using PDA were compared with results from laser light scattering measurements. The ability of PDA to provide simultaneous measurements of aerosol velocity and size makes it a powerful tool for the detailed investigation of nasal spray plume characteristics. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Sizing of single evaporating droplet with Near-Forward Elastic Scattering Spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Woźniak, M.; Jakubczyk, D.; Derkachov, G.; Archer, J.

2017-11-01

We have developed an optical setup and related numerical models to study evolution of single evaporating micro-droplets by analysis of their spectral properties. Our approach combines the advantages of the electrodynamic trapping with the broadband spectral analysis with the supercontinuum laser illumination. The elastically scattered light within the spectral range of 500-900 nm is observed by a spectrometer placed at the near-forward scattering angles between 4.3 ° and 16.2 ° and compared with the numerically generated lookup table of the broadband Mie scattering. Our solution has been successfully applied to infer the size evolution of the evaporating droplets of pure liquids (diethylene and ethylene glycol) and suspensions of nanoparticles (silica and gold nanoparticles in diethylene glycol), with maximal accuracy of ± 25 nm. The obtained results have been compared with the previously developed sizing techniques: (i) based on the analysis of the Mie scattering images - the Mie Scattering Lookup Table Method and (ii) the droplet weighting. Our approach provides possibility to handle levitating objects with much larger size range (radius from 0.5 μm to 30 μm) than with the use of optical tweezers (typically radius below 8 μm) and analyse them with much wider spectral range than with commonly used LED sources.

Mechanism of the superior mechanical strength of nanometer-sized metal single crystals revealed

KAUST Repository

Afify, N. D.

2013-10-01

Clear understanding of the superior mechanical strength of nanometer-sized metal single crystals is required to derive advanced mechanical components retaining such superiority. Although high quality studies have been reported on nano-crystalline metals, the superiority of small single crystals has neither been fundamentally explained nor quantified to this date. Here we present a molecular dynamics study of aluminum single crystals in the size range from 4.1 nm to 40.5 nm. We show that the ultimate mechanical strength deteriorates exponentially as the single crystal size increases. The small crystals superiority is explained by their ability to continuously form vacancies and to recover them. © 2013 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Retrievals of Cloud Droplet Size from the RSP Data: Validation Using in Situ Measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Alexandrov, Mikhail D.; Cairns, Brian; Sinclair, Kenneth; Wasilewski, Andrzej P.; Ziemba, Luke; Crosbie, Ewan; Hair, John; Hu, Yongxiang; Hostetler, Chris; Stamnes, Snorre

2016-01-01

We present comparisons of cloud droplet size distributions retrieved from the Research Scanning Polarimeter (RSP) data with correlative in situ measurements made during the North Atlantic Aerosols and Marine Ecosystems Study (NAAMES). This field experiment was based at St. Johns airport, Newfoundland, Canada with the latest deployment in May - June 2016. RSP was onboard the NASA C-130 aircraft together with an array of in situ and other remote sensing instrumentation. The RSP is an along-track scanner measuring polarized and total reflectances in9 spectral channels. Its unique high angular resolution allows for characterization of liquid water droplet size using the rainbow structure observed in the polarized reflectances in the scattering angle range between 135 and 165 degrees. A parametric fitting algorithm applied to the polarized reflectances provides retrievals of the droplet effective radius and variance assuming a prescribed size distribution shape (gamma distribution). In addition to this, we use a non-parametric method, Rainbow Fourier Transform (RFT), which allows us to retrieve the droplet size distribution (DSD) itself. The latter is important in the case of clouds with complex structure, which results in multi-modal DSDs. During NAAMES the aircraft performed a number of flight patterns specifically designed for comparison of remote sensing retrievals and in situ measurements. These patterns consisted of two flight segments above the same straight ground track. One of these segments was flown above clouds allowing for remote sensing measurements, while the other was at the cloud top where cloud droplets were sampled. We compare the DSDs retrieved from the RSP data with in situ measurements made by the Cloud Droplet Probe (CDP). The comparisons show generally good agreement with deviations explainable by the position of the aircraft within cloud and by presence of additional cloud layers in RSP view that do not contribute to the in situ DSDs. In the

Numerical simulations of the melting behavior of bulk and nanometer-sized Cu systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Manai, G.; Delogu, F.

2007-01-01

Molecular dynamics simulations have been employed to investigate the melting mechanisms of four different Cu systems consisting of a surface-free crystalline bulk, a semi-crystal terminating with a free surface and two unsupported particles with a radius of about 4 and 8 nm, respectively. Starting from a relaxed configuration at 300 K, the systems were gradually heated up to the characteristic melting points. The surface-free bulk system underwent homogeneous melting at the limit of superheating, whereas the melting of the semi-crystal and of the nanometer-sized particles occurred with heterogeneous features. In these latter cases, the structural and energetic properties revealed a two-state character with a definite difference between disordered surface layers and bulk-like interiors. In addition, the melting point and the latent heat of fusion of the nanometer-sized particles were significantly depressed with respect to the ones of the semi-crystal, approximately corresponding to the equilibrium values. Pre-melting phenomena took place at the free surfaces at temperatures significantly below the melting point, determining the formation of a solid-liquid interface. Numerical findings indicate that in all the cases the onset of melting is connected with the proliferation and migration of lattice defects and that an intimate relationship exists between homogeneous and heterogeneous melting mechanisms

Estimation and control of droplet size and frequency in projected spray mode of a gas metal arc welding (GMAW) process.

Science.gov (United States)

Anzehaee, Mohammad Mousavi; Haeri, Mohammad

2011-07-01

New estimators are designed based on the modified force balance model to estimate the detaching droplet size, detached droplet size, and mean value of droplet detachment frequency in a gas metal arc welding process. The proper droplet size for the process to be in the projected spray transfer mode is determined based on the modified force balance model and the designed estimators. Finally, the droplet size and the melting rate are controlled using two proportional-integral (PI) controllers to achieve high weld quality by retaining the transfer mode and generating appropriate signals as inputs of the weld geometry control loop. Copyright © 2011 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Numerical evaluation of droplet sizing based on the ratio of fluorescent and scattered light intensities (LIF/Mie technique)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Charalampous, Georgios; Hardalupas, Yannis

2011-01-01

The dependence of fluorescent and scattered light intensities from spherical droplets on droplet diameter was evaluated using Mie theory. The emphasis is on the evaluation of droplet sizing, based on the ratio of laser-induced fluorescence and scattered light intensities (LIF/Mie technique). A parametric study is presented, which includes the effects of scattering angle, the real part of the refractive index and the dye concentration in the liquid (determining the imaginary part of the refractive index). The assumption that the fluorescent and scattered light intensities are proportional to the volume and surface area of the droplets for accurate sizing measurements is not generally valid. More accurate sizing measurements can be performed with minimal dye concentration in the liquid and by collecting light at a scattering angle of 60 deg. rather than the commonly used angle of 90 deg. Unfavorable to the sizing accuracy are oscillations of the scattered light intensity with droplet diameter that are profound at the sidescatter direction (90 deg.) and for droplets with refractive indices around 1.4.

Droplet size effects on NO/x/ formation in a one-dimensional monodisperse spray combustion system

Science.gov (United States)

Sarv, H.; Nizami, A. A.; Cernansky, N. P.

1982-01-01

A one-dimensional monodisperse aerosol spray combustion facility is described and experimental results of post flame NO/NO(x) emissions are presented. Four different hydrocarbon fuels were studied: isopropanol, methanol, n-heptane, and n-octane. The results indicate an optimum droplet size in the range of 48-58 microns for minimizing NO/NO(x) production for all of the test fuels. This NO(x) behavior is associated with droplet interactions and the transition from diffusive type of spray burning to that of a prevaporized and premixed case. Decreasing the droplet size results in a trend of increasing droplet interactions, which suppresses temperatures and reduces NO(x). This trend continues until prevaporization effects begin to dominate and the system tends towards the premixed limit. The occurrence of the minimum NO(x) point at different droplet diameters for the different fuels appears to be governed by the extent of prevaporization of the fuel in the spray, and is consistent with theoretical calculations based on each fuel's physical properties.

Influence of palmitoyl pentapeptide and Ceramide III B on the droplet size of nanoemulsion

Science.gov (United States)

Sondari, Dewi; Haryono, Agus; Harmami, Sri Budi; Randy, Ahmad

2010-05-01

The influence of the Palmitoyl Pentapeptide (PPp) and Ceramide IIIB (Cm III B) as active ingredients on the droplet size of nano-emulsion was studied using different kinds of oil (avocado oil, sweet almond oil, jojoba oil, mineral oil and squalene). The formation of nano-emulsions were prepared in water mixed non ionic surfactant/oils system using the spontaneous emulsification mechanism. The aqueous solution, which consist of water and Tween® 20 as a hydrophilic surfactant was mixed homogenously. The organic solution, which consist of oil and Span® 80 as a lipophilic surfactant was mixed homogenously in ethanol. Ethanol was used as a water miscible solvent, which can help the formation of nano-emulsion. The oil phase (containing the blend of surfactant Span® 80, ethanol, oil and active ingredient) and the aqueous phase (containing water and Tween® 20) were separately prepared at room temperatures. The oil phase was slowly added into aqueous phase under continuous mechanical agitation (18000 rpm). All samples were subsequently homogenized with Ultra-Turrax for 30 minutes. The characterizations of nano-emulsion were carried out using photo-microscope and particle size analyzer. Addition of active ingredients on the formation of nano-emulsion gave smallest droplet size compared without active ingredients addition on the formation of nano-emulsion. Squalene oil with Palmitoyl Pentapeptide (PPm) and Ceramide IIIB (Cm IIIB) gave smallest droplet size (184.0 nm) compared without Palmitoyl Pentapeptide and Ceramide IIIB (214.9 nm), however the droplets size of the emulsion prepared by the other oils still in the range of nano-emulsion (below 500 nm). The stability of nano-emulsion was observed using two methods. In one method, the stability of nano-emulsion was observed for three months at temperature of 5°C and 50°C, while in the other method, the stability nano-emulsion was observed by centrifuged at 12000 rpm for 30 minutes. Nanoemulsion with active ingredient

The regulation of lipid droplet size and phospholipid composition by stearoyl-CoA desaturase

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Shi, Xun; Li, Juan; Zou, Xiaoju

2013-01-01

Fatty acid desaturation regulates membrane function and fat storage in animals. To determine the contribution of stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) activity on fat storage and development in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, we analyzed the lipid composition and lipid droplet size in the fat-6;fat-7...... desaturase mutants, independently, and in combination with mutants disrupted in conserved lipid metabolic pathways. C. elegans with impaired SCD activity displayed both reduced fat stores and decreased lipid droplet size. Mutants in the daf-2 (insulin-like growth factor receptor), rsks-1 (homolog of p70S6......-2;fat-6;fat-7 triple mutants, which had increased de novo fatty acid synthesis and wild type levels of fat stores. Notably, stearoyl-CoA desaturase activity is required for the formation of large-sized lipid droplets in all mutant backgrounds, as well as for normal ratios of phosphatidylcholine (PC...

Nanometer, submicron and micron sized aluminum powder prepared by semi-solid mechanical stirring method with addition of ceramic particles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qin, X.H.; Jiang, D.L.; Dong, S.M.

2004-01-01

Composite powder, which is a mixture of Al/Al 2 O 3 composite particles and nanometer, submicron and micron sized aluminum powder, was prepared by semi-solid mechanical stirring method with addition of Al 2 O 3 ceramic particles. The ceramic particles have an average diameter of 80 μm and a volume fraction of 15% in the slurry. The methods used to measure the size distribution of particles greater than 50 μm and less than 50 μm were sieve analysis and photosedimentation, respectively. The surface morphology and transverse sections of the composite powder of different sizes were examined by scanning electron microscope (SEM), optical microscope and auger electron spectroscopy (AES). The results indicate that the composite powder prepared in present work have a wide size distribution ranging from less than 50-900 μm, and the aluminum particles and Al/Al 2 O 3 composite particles are separated and isolated. The particles greater than 200 μm and less than 50 μm are almost pure aluminum powder. The rate of conversion of ingot aluminum into particles less than 1 μm containing nanometer and submicron sizes is 1.777 wt.% in this work. The aluminum powder of different sizes has different shape and surface morphology, quasi-spherical in shape with rough surface for aluminum particles of micron scale, irregular in shape for aluminum particles of submicron scale, and quite close to a globular or an excellent globular in shape for aluminum particles of nanometer size. On the other hand, the surface of ceramic particle was coated by aluminum particles with maximum thickness less than 10 μm containing nanometer and submicron sizes as a single layer. It is suggested that the surface of ceramic particles can provide more nucleation sites for solidification of liquid aluminum and the nucleation of liquid aluminum can take place readily, grow and adhere on the surface of ceramic particles, although it is poorly wetted by the liquid aluminum and the semi-solid slurry can

Droplet size prediction in ultrasonic nebulization for non-oxide ceramic powder synthesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Muñoz, Mariana; Goutier, Simon; Foucaud, Sylvie; Mariaux, Gilles; Poirier, Thierry

2018-03-01

Spray pyrolysis process has been used for the synthesis of non-oxide ceramic powders from liquid precursors in the Si/C/N system. Particles with a high thermal stability and with variable composition and size distribution have been obtained. In this process, the mechanisms involved in precursor decomposition and gas phase recombination of species are still unknown. The final aim of this work consists in improving the whole process comprehension by an experimental/modelling approach that helps to connect the synthesized particles characteristics to the precursor properties and process operating parameters. It includes the following steps: aerosol formation by a piezoelectric nebulizer, its transport and the chemical-physical phenomena involved in the reaction processes. This paper focuses on the aerosol characterization to understand the relationship between the liquid precursor properties and the liquid droplet diameter distribution. Liquids with properties close to the precursor of interest (hexamethyldisilazane) have been used. Experiments have been performed using a shadowgraphy technique to determine the drop size distribution of the aerosol. For all operating parameters of the nebulizer device and liquids used, bimodal droplet size distributions have been obtained. Correlations proposed in the literature for the droplet size prediction by ultrasonic nebulization were used and adapted to the specific nebulizer device used in this study, showing rather good agreement with experimental values. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Large Scale Behavior and Droplet Size Distributions in Crude Oil Jets and Plumes

Science.gov (United States)

Katz, Joseph; Murphy, David; Morra, David

2013-11-01

The 2010 Deepwater Horizon blowout introduced several million barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Injected initially as a turbulent jet containing crude oil and gas, the spill caused formation of a subsurface plume stretching for tens of miles. The behavior of such buoyant multiphase plumes depends on several factors, such as the oil droplet and bubble size distributions, current speed, and ambient stratification. While large droplets quickly rise to the surface, fine ones together with entrained seawater form intrusion layers. Many elements of the physics of droplet formation by an immiscible turbulent jet and their resulting size distribution have not been elucidated, but are known to be significantly influenced by the addition of dispersants, which vary the Weber Number by orders of magnitude. We present experimental high speed visualizations of turbulent jets of sweet petroleum crude oil (MC 252) premixed with Corexit 9500A dispersant at various dispersant to oil ratios. Observations were conducted in a 0.9 m × 0.9 m × 2.5 m towing tank, where large-scale behavior of the jet, both stationary and towed at various speeds to simulate cross-flow, have been recorded at high speed. Preliminary data on oil droplet size and spatial distributions were also measured using a videoscope and pulsed light sheet. Sponsored by Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI).

Study on Droplet Size and Velocity Distributions of a Pressure Swirl Atomizer Based on the Maximum Entropy Formalism

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kai Yan

2015-01-01

Full Text Available A predictive model for droplet size and velocity distributions of a pressure swirl atomizer has been proposed based on the maximum entropy formalism (MEF. The constraint conditions of the MEF model include the conservation laws of mass, momentum, and energy. The effects of liquid swirling strength, Weber number, gas-to-liquid axial velocity ratio and gas-to-liquid density ratio on the droplet size and velocity distributions of a pressure swirl atomizer are investigated. Results show that model based on maximum entropy formalism works well to predict droplet size and velocity distributions under different spray conditions. Liquid swirling strength, Weber number, gas-to-liquid axial velocity ratio and gas-to-liquid density ratio have different effects on droplet size and velocity distributions of a pressure swirl atomizer.

Endocytosis of Corn Oil-Caseinate Emulsions In Vitro: Impacts of Droplet Sizes

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Yuting; Yokoyama, Wally; Yi, Jiang

2017-01-01

The relative uptake and mechanisms of lipid-based emulsions of three different particle diameters by Caco-2 cells were studied. The corn oil-sodium caseinate emulsions showed little or no cytotoxicity even at 2 mg/mL protein concentration for any of the three droplet size emulsions. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) of Nile red containing emulsions showed that the lipid-based emulsions were absorbed by Caco-2 cells. A negative correlation between the mean droplet size and cellular uptake was observed. There was a time-dependent and energy-dependent uptake as shown by incubation at different times and treatment with sodium azide a general inhibitor of active transport. The endocytosis of lipid-based emulsions was size-dependent. The internalization of nanoemulsion droplets into Caco-2 cells mainly occurred through clathrin- and caveolae/lipid raft-related pathways, while macropinocytosis route played the most important role for 556 nm emulsion endocytosis as shown by the use of specific pathway inhibitors. Permeability of the emulsion through the apical or basal routes also suggested that active transport may be the main route for lipid-based nanoemulsions. The results may assist in the design and application of lipid-based nanoemulsions in nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals delivery. PMID:29072633

Endocytosis of Corn Oil-Caseinate Emulsions In Vitro: Impacts of Droplet Sizes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuting Fan

2017-10-01

Full Text Available The relative uptake and mechanisms of lipid-based emulsions of three different particle diameters by Caco-2 cells were studied. The corn oil-sodium caseinate emulsions showed little or no cytotoxicity even at 2 mg/mL protein concentration for any of the three droplet size emulsions. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM of Nile red containing emulsions showed that the lipid-based emulsions were absorbed by Caco-2 cells. A negative correlation between the mean droplet size and cellular uptake was observed. There was a time-dependent and energy-dependent uptake as shown by incubation at different times and treatment with sodium azide a general inhibitor of active transport. The endocytosis of lipid-based emulsions was size-dependent. The internalization of nanoemulsion droplets into Caco-2 cells mainly occurred through clathrin- and caveolae/lipid raft-related pathways, while macropinocytosis route played the most important role for 556 nm emulsion endocytosis as shown by the use of specific pathway inhibitors. Permeability of the emulsion through the apical or basal routes also suggested that active transport may be the main route for lipid-based nanoemulsions. The results may assist in the design and application of lipid-based nanoemulsions in nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals delivery.

Fabrication and characterization of a nanometer-sized optical fiber electrode based on selective chemical etching for scanning electrochemical/optical microscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Maruyama, Kenichi; Ohkawa, Hiroyuki; Ogawa, Sho; Ueda, Akio; Niwa, Osamu; Suzuki, Koji

2006-03-15

We have already reported a method for fabricating ultramicroelectrodes (Suzuki, K. JP Patent, 2004-45394, 2004). This method is based on the selective chemical etching of optical fibers. In this work, we undertake a detailed investigation involving a combination of etched optical fibers with various types of tapered tip (protruding-shape, double- (or pencil-) shape and triple-tapered electrode) and insulation with electrophoretic paint. Our goal is to establish a method for fabricating nanometer-sized optical fiber electrodes with high reproducibility. As a result, we realized pencil-shaped and triple-tapered electrodes that had radii in the nanometer range with high reproducibility. These nanometer-sized electrodes showed well-defined sigmoidal curves and stable diffusion-limited responses with cyclic voltammetry. The pencil-shaped optical fiber, which has a conical tip with a cone angle of 20 degrees , was effective for controlling the electrode radius. The pencil-shaped electrodes had higher reproducibility and smaller electrode radii (r(app) etched optical fiber electrodes. By using a pencil-shaped electrode with a 105-nm radius as a probe, we obtained simultaneous electrochemical and optical images of an implantable interdigitated array electrode. We achieved nanometer-scale resolution with a combination of scanning electrochemical microscopy SECM and optical microscopy. The resolution of the electrochemical and optical images indicated sizes of 300 and 930 nm, respectively. The neurites of living PC12 cells were also successfully imaged on a 1.6-microm scale by using the negative feedback mode of an SECM.

Transmission electron microscopy studies on nanometer-sized ω phase produced in Gum Metal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yano, Takaaki; Murakami, Yasukazu; Shindo, Daisuke; Hayasaka, Yuichiro; Kuramoto, Shigeru

2010-01-01

The morphology, numerical density and average spacing of the ω phase formed in Gum Metal, a Ti-based alloy showing unique mechanical properties, were studied by transmission electron microscopy. Based on dark-field image observations and precise thickness measurements using a thin-foil specimen, the average spacing of the nanometer-sized ω phase was determined to be 6 nm. This spacing appeared to be sufficiently small for trapping dislocations. The results are discussed in conjunction with the dislocation-free deformation mechanism proposed for Gum Metal.

Transdermal delivery of forskolin from emulsions differing in droplet size.

Science.gov (United States)

Sikora, Elżbieta; Llinas, Meritxell; Garcia-Celma, Maria Jose; Escribano, Elvira; Solans, Conxita

2015-02-01

The skin permeation of forskolin, a diterpene isolated from Coleus forsholii, was studied using oil in water (O/W) emulsions as delivery formulations and also an oil solution for comparative purposes. Two forskolin-loaded emulsions of water/Brij 72:Symperonic A7/Miglyol 812:Isohexadecane, at 0.075 wt% forskolin concentration were prepared with the same composition and only differing in droplet size (0.38 μm and 10 μm). The emulsions showed high kinetic stability at 25 °C. In vitro study of forskolin penetration through human skin was carried out using the MicroettePlus(®) system. The concentration of the active in the receptor solution (i.e. ethanol/phosphate buffer 40/60, v/v) was analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography with UV detection. The obtained results showed that forskolin permeation from the emulsions and the oil solution, through human skin, was very high (up to 72.10%), and no effect of droplet size was observed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of droplet size and type of binder on the agglomerate growth mechanisms by melt agglomeration in a fluidised bed.

Science.gov (United States)

Seo, Anette; Holm, Per; Schaefer, Torben

2002-08-01

This study was performed in order to evaluate the effects of binder droplet size and type of binder on the agglomerate growth mechanisms by melt agglomeration in a fluidised bed granulator. Lactose monohydrate was agglomerated with melted polyethylene glycol (PEG) 3000 or Gelucire 50/13 (esters of polyethylene glycol and glycerol), which was atomised at different nozzle air flow rates giving rise to median droplet sizes of 40, 60, and 80 microm. Different product temperatures were investigated, below the melting range, in the middle of the melting range, and above the melting range for each binder. The agglomerates were found to be formed by initial nucleation of lactose particles immersed in the melted binder droplets. Agglomerate growth occurred by coalescence between nuclei followed by coalescence between agglomerates. Complex effects of binder droplet size and type of binder were seen at low product temperatures. Low product temperatures resulted in smaller agglomerate sizes, because the agglomerate growth was counteracted by very high binder viscosity or solidification of the binder. At higher product temperatures, neither the binder droplet size nor the type of binder had a clear effect on the final agglomerate size.

Quantum decrease of capacitance in a nanometer-sized tunnel junction

Science.gov (United States)

Untiedt, C.; Saenz, G.; Olivera, B.; Corso, M.; Sabater, C.; Pascual, J. I.

2013-03-01

We have studied the capacitance of the tunnel junction defined by the tip and sample of a Scanning Tunnelling Microscope through the measurement of the electrostatic forces and impedance of the junction. A decrease of the capacitance when a tunnel current is present has shown to be a more general phenomenon as previously reported in other systems. On another hand, an unexpected reduction of the capacitance is also observed when increasing the applied voltage above the work function energy of the electrodes to the Field Emission (FE) regime, and the decrease of capacitance due to a single FE-Resonance has been characterized. All these effects should be considered when doing measurements of the electronic characteristics of nanometer-sized electronic devices and have been neglected up to date. Spanish government (FIS2010-21883-C02-01, CONSOLIDER CSD2007-0010), Comunidad Valenciana (ACOMP/2012/127 and PROMETEO/2012/011)

Evaluating the capabilities and uncertainties of droplet measurements for the fog droplet spectrometer (FM-100

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. K. Spiegel

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Droplet size spectra measurements are crucial to obtain a quantitative microphysical description of clouds and fog. However, cloud droplet size measurements are subject to various uncertainties. This work focuses on the error analysis of two key measurement uncertainties arising during cloud droplet size measurements with a conventional droplet size spectrometer (FM-100: first, we addressed the precision with which droplets can be sized with the FM-100 on the basis of the Mie theory. We deduced error assumptions and proposed a new method on how to correct measured size distributions for these errors by redistributing the measured droplet size distribution using a stochastic approach. Second, based on a literature study, we summarized corrections for particle losses during sampling with the FM-100. We applied both corrections to cloud droplet size spectra measured at the high alpine site Jungfraujoch for a temperature range from 0 °C to 11 °C. We showed that Mie scattering led to spikes in the droplet size distributions using the default sizing procedure, while the new stochastic approach reproduced the ambient size distribution adequately. A detailed analysis of the FM-100 sampling efficiency revealed that particle losses were typically below 10% for droplet diameters up to 10 μm. For larger droplets, particle losses can increase up to 90% for the largest droplets of 50 μm at ambient wind speeds below 4.4 m s⁻¹ and even to >90% for larger angles between the instrument orientation and the wind vector (sampling angle at higher wind speeds. Comparisons of the FM-100 to other reference instruments revealed that the total liquid water content (LWC measured by the FM-100 was more sensitive to particle losses than to re-sizing based on Mie scattering, while the total number concentration was only marginally influenced by particle losses. Consequently, for further LWC measurements with the FM-100 we strongly recommend to consider (1 the

Interferometric laser imaging for in-flight cloud droplet sizing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dunker, Christina; Roloff, Christoph; Grassmann, Arne

2016-01-01

A non-intrusive particle sizing method with a high spatial distribution is used to estimate cloud droplet spectra during flight test campaigns. The interferometric laser imaging for droplet sizing (ILIDS) method derives particle diameters of transparent spheres by evaluating the out-of-focus image patterns. This sizing approach requires a polarized monochromatic light source, a camera including an objective lens with a slit aperture, a synchronization unit and a processing tool for data evaluation. These components are adapted to a flight test environment to enable the microphysical investigation of different cloud genera. The present work addresses the design and specifications of ILIDS system, flight test preparation and selected results obtained in the lower and middle troposphere. The research platform was a Dornier Do228-101 commuter aircraft at the DLR Flight Operation Center in Braunschweig. It was equipped with the required instrumentation including a high-energy laser as the light source. A comprehensive data set of around 71 800 ILIDS images was acquired over the course of five flights. The data evaluation of the characteristic ILIDS fringe patterns relies, among other things, on a relationship between the fringe spacing and the diameter of the particle. The simplest way to extract this information from a pattern is by fringe counting, which is not viable for such an extensive number of data. A brief contrasting comparison of evaluation methods based on frequency analysis by means of fast Fourier transform and on correlation methods such as minimum quadratic difference is used to encompass the limits and accuracy of the ILIDS method for such applications. (paper)

Micro-Droplet Detection Method for Measuring the Concentration of Alkaline Phosphatase-Labeled Nanoparticles in Fluorescence Microscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Rufeng; Wang, Yibei; Xu, Hong; Fei, Baowei; Qin, Binjie

2017-11-21

This paper developed and evaluated a quantitative image analysis method to measure the concentration of the nanoparticles on which alkaline phosphatase (AP) was immobilized. These AP-labeled nanoparticles are widely used as signal markers for tagging biomolecules at nanometer and sub-nanometer scales. The AP-labeled nanoparticle concentration measurement can then be directly used to quantitatively analyze the biomolecular concentration. Micro-droplets are mono-dispersed micro-reactors that can be used to encapsulate and detect AP-labeled nanoparticles. Micro-droplets include both empty micro-droplets and fluorescent micro-droplets, while fluorescent micro-droplets are generated from the fluorescence reaction between the APs adhering to a single nanoparticle and corresponding fluorogenic substrates within droplets. By detecting micro-droplets and calculating the proportion of fluorescent micro-droplets to the overall micro-droplets, we can calculate the AP-labeled nanoparticle concentration. The proposed micro-droplet detection method includes the following steps: (1) Gaussian filtering to remove the noise of overall fluorescent targets, (2) a contrast-limited, adaptive histogram equalization processing to enhance the contrast of weakly luminescent micro-droplets, (3) an red maximizing inter-class variance thresholding method (OTSU) to segment the enhanced image for getting the binary map of the overall micro-droplets, (4) a circular Hough transform (CHT) method to detect overall micro-droplets and (5) an intensity-mean-based thresholding segmentation method to extract the fluorescent micro-droplets. The experimental results of fluorescent micro-droplet images show that the average accuracy of our micro-droplet detection method is 0.9586; the average true positive rate is 0.9502; and the average false positive rate is 0.0073. The detection method can be successfully applied to measure AP-labeled nanoparticle concentration in fluorescence microscopy.

Micro-Droplet Detection Method for Measuring the Concentration of Alkaline Phosphatase-Labeled Nanoparticles in Fluorescence Microscopy

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Rufeng Li

2017-11-01

Full Text Available This paper developed and evaluated a quantitative image analysis method to measure the concentration of the nanoparticles on which alkaline phosphatase (AP was immobilized. These AP-labeled nanoparticles are widely used as signal markers for tagging biomolecules at nanometer and sub-nanometer scales. The AP-labeled nanoparticle concentration measurement can then be directly used to quantitatively analyze the biomolecular concentration. Micro-droplets are mono-dispersed micro-reactors that can be used to encapsulate and detect AP-labeled nanoparticles. Micro-droplets include both empty micro-droplets and fluorescent micro-droplets, while fluorescent micro-droplets are generated from the fluorescence reaction between the APs adhering to a single nanoparticle and corresponding fluorogenic substrates within droplets. By detecting micro-droplets and calculating the proportion of fluorescent micro-droplets to the overall micro-droplets, we can calculate the AP-labeled nanoparticle concentration. The proposed micro-droplet detection method includes the following steps: (1 Gaussian filtering to remove the noise of overall fluorescent targets, (2 a contrast-limited, adaptive histogram equalization processing to enhance the contrast of weakly luminescent micro-droplets, (3 an red maximizing inter-class variance thresholding method (OTSU to segment the enhanced image for getting the binary map of the overall micro-droplets, (4 a circular Hough transform (CHT method to detect overall micro-droplets and (5 an intensity-mean-based thresholding segmentation method to extract the fluorescent micro-droplets. The experimental results of fluorescent micro-droplet images show that the average accuracy of our micro-droplet detection method is 0.9586; the average true positive rate is 0.9502; and the average false positive rate is 0.0073. The detection method can be successfully applied to measure AP-labeled nanoparticle concentration in fluorescence microscopy.

Coalescence preference and droplet size inequality during fluid phase segregation

Science.gov (United States)

Roy, Sutapa

2018-02-01

Using molecular dynamics simulations and scaling arguments, we investigate the coalescence preference dynamics of liquid droplets in a phase-segregating off-critical, single-component fluid. It is observed that the preferential distance of the product drop from its larger parent, during a coalescence event, gets smaller for large parent size inequality. The relative coalescence position exhibits a power-law dependence on the parent size ratio with an exponent q ≃ 3.1 . This value of q is in strong contrast with earlier reports 2.1 and 5.1 in the literature. The dissimilarity is explained by considering the underlying coalescence mechanisms.

Contact freezing of supercooled cloud droplets on collision with mineral dust particles: effect of particle size

Science.gov (United States)

Hoffmann, Nadine; Duft, Denis; Kiselev, Alexei; Leisner, Thomas

2013-04-01

The contact freezing of supercooled cloud droplets is one of the potentially important and the least investigated heterogeneous mechanism of ice formation in the tropospheric clouds [1]. On the time scales of cloud lifetime the freezing of supercooled water droplets via contact mechanism may occur at higher temperature compared to the same IN immersed in the droplet. However, the laboratory experiments of contact freezing are very challenging due to the number of factors affecting the probability of ice formation. In our experiment we study single water droplets freely levitated in the laminar flow of mineral dust particles acting as the contact freezing nuclei. By repeating the freezing experiment sufficient number of times we are able to reproduce statistical freezing behavior of large ensembles of supercooled droplets and measure the average rate of freezing events. We show that the rate of freezing at given temperature is governed only by the rate of droplet -particle collision and by the properties of the contact ice nuclei. In this contribution we investigate the relationship between the freezing probability and the size of mineral dust particle (represented by illite) and show that their IN efficiency scales with the particle size. Based on this observation, we discuss the similarity between the freezing of supercooled water droplets in immersion and contact modes and possible mechanisms of apparent enhancement of the contact freezing efficiency. [1] - K.C. Young, The role of contact nucleation in ice phase initiation in clouds, Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences 31, 1974

Quantum dissipative dynamics and decoherence of dimers on helium droplets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schlesinger, Martin

2011-01-01

In this thesis, quantum dynamical simulations are performed in order to describe the vibrational motion of diatomic molecules in a highly quantum environment, so-called helium droplets. We aim to reproduce and explain experimental findings which were obtained from dimers on helium droplets. Nanometer-sized helium droplets contain several thousands of 4 He atoms. They serve as a host for embedded atoms or molecules and provide an ultracold ''refrigerator'' for them. Spectroscopy of molecules in or on these droplets reveals information on both the molecule and the helium environment. The droplets are known to be in the superfluid He II phase. Superfluidity in nanoscale systems is a steadily growing field of research. Spectra obtained from full quantum simulations for the unperturbed dimer show deviations from measurements with dimers on helium droplets. These deviations result from the influence of the helium environment on the dimer dynamics. In this work, a well-established quantum optical master equation is used in order to describe the dimer dynamics effectively. The master equation allows to describe damping fully quantum mechanically. By employing that equation in the quantum dynamical simulation, one can study the role of dissipation and decoherence in dimers on helium droplets. The effective description allows to explain experiments with Rb 2 dimers on helium droplets. Here, we identify vibrational damping and associated decoherence as the main explanation for the experimental results. The relation between decoherence and dissipation in Morse-like systems at zero temperature is studied in more detail. The dissipative model is also used to investigate experiments with K 2 dimers on helium droplets. However, by comparing numerical simulations with experimental data, one finds that further mechanisms are active. Here, a good agreement is obtained through accounting for rapid desorption of dimers. We find that decoherence occurs in the electronic manifold of the

Rheological and droplet size analysis of W/O/W multiple emulsions containing low concentrations of polymeric emulsifiers

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DRAGANA D. VASILJEVIĆ

2009-07-01

Full Text Available Multiple emulsions are complex dispersion systems which have many potential applications in pharmaceutics, cosmetics and the food industry. In practice, however, significant problems may arise because of their thermodynamic instability. In this study, W/O/W multiple emulsion systems containing low concentration levels of lipophilic polymeric primary emulsifiers cetyl dimethicone copolyol and PEG–30 dipolyhydroxystearate were evaluated. The concentrations of the primary emulsifiers were set at 1.6 and 2.4 % w/w in the final emulsions. Rheological and droplet size analysis of the investigated samples showed that the type and concentration of the primary lipophilic polymeric emulsifier markedly affected the characteristics of the multiple emulsions. The multiple emulsion prepared with 2.4 % w/w PEG–30 dipolyhydroxystearate as the primary emulsifier exhibited the highest apparent viscosity, yield stress and elastic modulus values, as well as the smallest droplet size. Furthermore, these parameters remained relatively constant over the study period, confirming the high stability of the investigated sample. The results obtained indicate that the changes observed in the investigated samples over time could be attributed to the swelling/breakdown mechanism of the multiple droplets. Such changes could be adequately monitored by rheological and droplet size analysis.

Post-dryout heat transfer and entrained droplet sizes at low pressure and low flow conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jeong, H.Y.; No, H.C.

1997-01-01

The entrainment mechanisms and the entrained droplet sizes with relation to the flow regimes are investigated. Through the analysis of many experimental post-dryout data, it is shown that the most probable flow regime near dryout or quench front is not annular flow but churn-turbulent flow when the mass flux is low. A correlation describing the initial droplet size just after the CHF position at low mass flux is suggested through regression analysis. The history-dependent post-dryout model of Varone and Rohsenow replaced by the Webb-Chen model for wall-vapor heat transfer is used as a reference model in the analysis. In the post-dryout region at low pressure and low flow, it is found that the suggested one-dimensional mechanistic model is not applicable when the vapor superficial velocity is very low. This is explained by the change of main entrainment mechanism with the change of flow regime. In bubbly or slug flow a number of tiny droplets generated from bubble burst become important in the heat transfer after dryout. Therefore, the suggested correlation is valid only in the churn-turbulent flow regime (j g * = 0.5∼4.5). It is also suggested that the droplet size generated from the churn-turbulent surface is dependent not only on the pressure but also on the vapor velocity. It turns out that the present model can predict the measured cladding and vapor temperatures within 20% and 25%, respectively

Can a droplet break up under flow without elongating? Fragmentation of smectic monodisperse droplets

Science.gov (United States)

Courbin, L.; Engl, W.; Panizza, P.

2004-06-01

We study the fragmentation under shear flow of smectic monodisperse droplets at high volume fraction. Using small angle light scattering and optical microscopy, we reveal the existence of a break-up mechanism for which the droplets burst into daughter droplets of the same size. Surprisingly, this fragmentation process, which is strain controlled and occurs homogeneously in the cell, does not require any transient elongation of the droplets. Systematic experiments as a function of the initial droplet size and the applied shear rate show that the rupture is triggered by an instability of the inner droplet structure.

Graphene nanoribbon field effect transistor for nanometer-size on-chip temperature sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Banadaki, Yaser M.; Srivastava, Ashok; Sharifi, Safura

2016-04-01

Graphene has been extensively investigated as a promising material for various types of high performance sensors due to its large surface-to-volume ratio, remarkably high carrier mobility, high carrier density, high thermal conductivity, extremely high mechanical strength and high signal-to-noise ratio. The power density and the corresponding die temperature can be tremendously high in scaled emerging technology designs, urging the on-chip sensing and controlling of the generated heat in nanometer dimensions. In this paper, we have explored the feasibility of a thin oxide graphene nanoribbon (GNR) as nanometer-size temperature sensor for detecting local on-chip temperature at scaled bias voltages of emerging technology. We have introduced an analytical model for GNR FET for 22nm technology node, which incorporates both thermionic emission of high-energy carriers and band-to-band-tunneling (BTBT) of carriers from drain to channel regions together with different scattering mechanisms due to intrinsic acoustic phonons and optical phonons and line-edge roughness in narrow GNRs. The temperature coefficient of resistivity (TCR) of GNR FET-based temperature sensor shows approximately an order of magnitude higher TCR than large-area graphene FET temperature sensor by accurately choosing of GNR width and bias condition for a temperature set point. At gate bias VGS = 0.55 V, TCR maximizes at room temperature to 2.1×10-2 /K, which is also independent of GNR width, allowing the design of width-free GNR FET for room temperature sensing applications.

Introducing a new formula based on an artificial neural network for prediction of droplet size in venturi scrubbers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Sharifi

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Droplet size is a fundamental parameter for Venturi scrubber performance. For many years, the correlations proposed by Nukiyama and Tanasawa (1938 and Boll et al. (1974 were used for calculating mean droplet size in Venturi scrubbers with limited operating parameters. This study proposes an alternative approach on the basis of artificial neural networks (ANNs to determine the mean droplet size in Venturi scrubbers, in a wide range of operating parameters. Experimental data were used to design the ANNs. A neural network was trained based on the liquid to gas ratio (L/G and throat gas velocity (Vgth, as input parameters, and the Sauter mean diameter (D32 as the desired parameter. The back-propagation learning algorithms were used in the network and the best approach was found. A new formula for the prediction of D32 using the weights of the network was then generated. This formula predicts mean droplet size in Venturi scrubbers more accurately than the correlations of Boll et al. (1974 and Nukiyama and Tanasawa (1938. The Average Absolute Percent Deviation (AAPD of our formula and the Boll et al. and Nukiyama and Tanasawa correlations for the full ranges of experimental data are 26.04%, 40.19% and 32.99%, respectively.

Uniform-droplet spray forming

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Blue, C.A.; Sikka, V.K. [Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States); Chun, Jung-Hoon [Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA (United States); Ando, T. [Tufts Univ., Medford, MA (United States)

1997-04-01

The uniform-droplet process is a new method of liquid-metal atomization that results in single droplets that can be used to produce mono-size powders or sprayed-on to substrates to produce near-net shapes with tailored microstructure. The mono-sized powder-production capability of the uniform-droplet process also has the potential of permitting engineered powder blends to produce components of controlled porosity. Metal and alloy powders are commercially produced by at least three different methods: gas atomization, water atomization, and rotating disk. All three methods produce powders of a broad range in size with a very small yield of fine powders with single-sized droplets that can be used to produce mono-size powders or sprayed-on substrates to produce near-net shapes with tailored microstructures. The economical analysis has shown the process to have the potential of reducing capital cost by 50% and operating cost by 37.5% when applied to powder making. For the spray-forming process, a 25% savings is expected in both the capital and operating costs. The project is jointly carried out at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Tuffs University, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Preliminary interactions with both finished parts and powder producers have shown a strong interest in the uniform-droplet process. Systematic studies are being conducted to optimize the process parameters, understand the solidification of droplets and spray deposits, and develop a uniform-droplet-system (UDS) apparatus appropriate for processing engineering alloys.

Relationship between concentration of surfactant and pressure for droplet creation, and effect on droplet size in microchannel O/W emulsification; Maikurochaneru ni yoru O/W nyukaho ni okeru kaimen kasseizai nodo to ekiteki seisei atsuryoku no kankei, oyobi koreraga ekitekikei ni oyobosu eikyo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kawakatsu, T.; Komori, H.; Oda, N.; Yonemoto, T. [Tohoku Univ., Sendai (Japan). Graduate School of Engineering

1998-03-01

O/W (oil in water) emulsion is produced by micro-channel emulsification method, and the effects of surfactant concentration on the pressures at which droplet generation starts and stops are evaluated in connection with the water phase and oil phase interfacial tension. In addition, the effects of surfactant concentration and operational pressure on the droplet size are investigated by measuring the generated droplet distribution, mean droplet size, standard deviation, geometrical standard deviation, and the possibility of producing mono-dispersion emulsion whose droplet size is large than 10 micron. The breakthrough pressure and the minimum pressure for droplet generation become low with the increase of SDS (sodium lauryl sulfate) concentration. The surfactant concentration, however, is found to have no effect on the breakthrough pressure and the minimum pressure for droplet generation when the SDS concentration exceeds the critical micelle concentration. It is true also for a system added with NaCl. As regards droplet size, uniform 20{mu}m droplet is obtained irrespective of the surfactant concentration and pressure. 13 refs., 10 figs., 2 tabs.

Top-spray fluid bed coating: Scale-up in terms of relative droplet size and drying force

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hede, Peter Dybdahl; Bach, P.; Jensen, Anker Degn

2008-01-01

in terms of particle size fractions larger than 425 mu m determined by sieve analysis. Results indicated that the particle size distribution may be reproduced across scale with statistical valid precision by keeping the drying force and the relative droplet size constant across scale. It is also shown...

[Micro-droplet characterization and its application for amino acid detection in droplet microfluidic system].

Science.gov (United States)

Yuan, Huiling; Dong, Libing; Tu, Ran; Du, Wenbin; Ji, Shiru; Wang, Qinhong

2014-01-01

Recently, the droplet microfluidic system attracts interests due to its high throughput and low cost to detect and screen. The picoliter micro-droplets from droplet microfluidics are uniform with respect to the size and shape, and could be used as monodispensed micro-reactors for encapsulation and detection of single cell or its metabolites. Therefore, it is indispensable to characterize micro-droplet and its application from droplet microfluidic system. We first constructed the custom-designed droplet microfluidic system for generating micro-droplets, and then used the micro-droplets to encapsulate important amino acids such as glutamic acid, phenylalanine, tryptophan or tyrosine to test the droplets' properties, including the stability, diffusivity and bio-compatibility for investigating its application for amino acid detection and sorting. The custom-designed droplet microfluidic system could generate the uniformed micro-droplets with a controllable size between 20 to 50 microm. The micro-droplets could be stable for more than 20 h without cross-contamination or fusion each other. The throughput of detection and sorting of the system is about 600 micro-droplets per minute. This study provides a high-throughput platform for the analysis and screening of amino acid-producing microorganisms.

Droplet Growth

Science.gov (United States)

Marder, Michael Paolo

When a mixture of two materials, such as aluminum and tin, or alcohol and water, is cooled below a certain temperature, the two components begin to separate. If one component is dilute in the other, it may separate out in the form of small spheres, and these will begin to enlarge, depleting the supersaturated material around them. If the dynamics is sufficiently slow, thermodynamics gives one considerable information about how the droplets grow. Two types of experiment have explored this behavior and given puzzling results. Nucleation experiments measure the rate at which droplets initially appear from a seemingly homogeneous mixture. Near the critical point in binary liquids, experiments conducted in the 1960's and early 1970's showed that nucleation was vastly slower than theory seemed to predict. The resolution of this problem arises by considering in detail the dynamics of growing droplets and comparing it with what experiments actually measure. Here will be presented a more detailed comparison of theory and experiment than has before been completed, obtaining satisfactory agreement with no free parameters needed. A second type of experiment measures droplet size distributions after long times. In the late stage, droplets compete with each other for material, a few growing at the expense of others. A theory first proposed by Lifshitz and Slyozov claims that this distribution, properly scaled, should be universal, and independent of properties of materials. Yet experimental measurements consistently find distributions that are more broad and squat than the theory would predict. Satisfactory agreement with experiment can be achieved by considering two points. First, one must study the complete time development of droplet size distributions, to understand when the asymptotic regime obtains. Second, droplet size distributions are spread by correlations between droplets. If one finds a small droplet, it is small because large droplets nearby are competing with it

Obtaining of iron particles of nanometer size in a natural zeolite; Obtencion de particulas de hierro de tamano nanometrico en una zeolita natural

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xingu C, E. G.

2013-07-01

The zeolites are aluminosilicates with cavities that can act as molecular sieve. Their crystalline structure is formed by tetrahedrons that get together giving place to a three-dimensional net, in which each oxygen is shared by two silicon atoms, being this way part of the tecto silicate minerals, its external and internal areas reach the hundred square meters for gram, they are located in a natural way in a large part of earth crust and also exist in a synthetic way. In Mexico there are different locations of zeolitic material whose important component is the clinoptilolite. In this work the results of three zeolitic materials coming from San Luis Potosi are shown, the samples were milled and sieved for its initial characterization, to know its chemical composition, crystalline phases, morphology, topology and thermal behavior before and after its homo-ionization with sodium chloride, its use as support of iron particles of nanometer size. The description of the synthesis of iron particles of nanometer size is also presented, as well as the comparison with the particles of nanometer size synthesized without support after its characterization. The characterization techniques used during the experimental work were: Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Infrared spectroscopy, specific area by means of BET and thermogravimetry analysis. (Author)

Spray Droplet Characterization from a Single Nozzle by High Speed Image Analysis Using an In-Focus Droplet Criterion.

Science.gov (United States)

Minov, Sofija Vulgarakis; Cointault, Frédéric; Vangeyte, Jürgen; Pieters, Jan G; Nuyttens, David

2016-02-06

Accurate spray characterization helps to better understand the pesticide spray application process. The goal of this research was to present the proof of principle of a droplet size and velocity measuring technique for different types of hydraulic spray nozzles using a high speed backlight image acquisition and analysis system. As only part of the drops of an agricultural spray can be in focus at any given moment, an in-focus criterion based on the gray level gradient was proposed to decide whether a given droplet is in focus or not. In a first experiment, differently sized droplets were generated with a piezoelectric generator and studied to establish the relationship between size and in-focus characteristics. In a second experiment, it was demonstrated that droplet sizes and velocities from a real sprayer could be measured reliably in a non-intrusive way using the newly developed image acquisition set-up and image processing. Measured droplet sizes ranged from 24 μm to 543 μm, depending on the nozzle type and size. Droplet velocities ranged from around 0.5 m/s to 12 m/s. The droplet size and velocity results were compared and related well with the results obtained with a Phase Doppler Particle Analyzer (PDPA).

Lossless droplet transfer of droplet-based microfluidic analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Kelly, Ryan T [West Richland, WA; Tang, Keqi [Richland, WA; Page, Jason S [Kennewick, WA; Smith, Richard D [Richland, WA

2011-11-22

A transfer structure for droplet-based microfluidic analysis is characterized by a first conduit containing a first stream having at least one immiscible droplet of aqueous material and a second conduit containing a second stream comprising an aqueous fluid. The interface between the first conduit and the second conduit can define a plurality of apertures, wherein the apertures are sized to prevent exchange of the first and second streams between conduits while allowing lossless transfer of droplets from the first conduit to the second conduit through contact between the first and second streams.

Coupled quantum dot-ring structures by droplet epitaxy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Somaschini, C; Bietti, S; Koguchi, N; Sanguinetti, S

2011-01-01

The fabrication, by pure self-assembly, of GaAs/AlGaAs dot-ring quantum nanostructures is presented. The growth is performed via droplet epitaxy, which allows for the fine control, through As flux and substrate temperature, of the crystallization kinetics of nanometer scale metallic Ga reservoirs deposited on the surface. Such a procedure permits the combination of quantum dots and quantum rings into a single, multi-functional, complex quantum nanostructure.

Application of global rainbow technique in sprays with a dependence of the refractive index on droplet size

Science.gov (United States)

Saengkaew, S.; Bodoc, V.; Lavergne, G.; Grehan, G.

2013-01-01

In liquid combustion, the evaporation process is one of the key parameters which controls combustion efficiency. To understand the combustion process, and to be able to develop an efficient combustor which produces less pollutant, it is necessary to be able to measure evaporation properties. Several techniques exist to measure the physical properties of fuel droplets, but very few exist to measure the thermo-chemical properties. The global rainbow technique (GRT) has been proposed and successfully used to measure the average temperature and the size distribution of sprays under the assumption that all the droplets are at the same temperature. This paper explores the applicability of GRT to sprays where the refractive index is a function of the particle size. A first result proves that the refractive index measured by GRT is weighted by the droplet diameter to the power of 7/3. This result permits accurate and fast comparisons between the numerical simulations and the experiments. A second result is the measurement of the refractive index by the size class by coupling GRT and Phase Doppler Anemometry (PDA) measurements (or another measurement technique with a low sensitivity to the refractive index such as holography, diffractometry, etc).

Hydrodynamics of Leidenfrost droplets in one-component fluids

KAUST Repository

Xu, Xinpeng; Qian, Tiezheng

2013-01-01

Using the dynamic van der Waals theory [Phys. Rev. E 75, 036304 (2007)], we numerically investigate the hydrodynamics of Leidenfrost droplets under gravity in two dimensions. Some recent theoretical predictions and experimental observations are confirmed in our simulations. A Leidenfrost droplet larger than a critical size is shown to be unstable and break up into smaller droplets due to the Rayleigh-Taylor instability of the bottom surface of the droplet. Our simulations demonstrate that an evaporating Leidenfrost droplet changes continuously from a puddle to a circular droplet, with the droplet shape controlled by its size in comparison with a few characteristic length scales. The geometry of the vapor layer under the droplet is found to mainly depend on the droplet size and is nearly independent of the substrate temperature, as reported in a recent experimental study [Phys. Rev. Lett. 109, 074301 (2012)]. Finally, our simulations demonstrate that a Leidenfrost droplet smaller than a characteristic size takes off from the hot substrate because the levitating force due to evaporation can no longer be balanced by the weight of the droplet, as observed in a recent experimental study [Phys. Rev. Lett. 109, 034501 (2012)].

Hydrodynamics of Leidenfrost droplets in one-component fluids

KAUST Repository

Xu, Xinpeng

2013-04-24

Using the dynamic van der Waals theory [Phys. Rev. E 75, 036304 (2007)], we numerically investigate the hydrodynamics of Leidenfrost droplets under gravity in two dimensions. Some recent theoretical predictions and experimental observations are confirmed in our simulations. A Leidenfrost droplet larger than a critical size is shown to be unstable and break up into smaller droplets due to the Rayleigh-Taylor instability of the bottom surface of the droplet. Our simulations demonstrate that an evaporating Leidenfrost droplet changes continuously from a puddle to a circular droplet, with the droplet shape controlled by its size in comparison with a few characteristic length scales. The geometry of the vapor layer under the droplet is found to mainly depend on the droplet size and is nearly independent of the substrate temperature, as reported in a recent experimental study [Phys. Rev. Lett. 109, 074301 (2012)]. Finally, our simulations demonstrate that a Leidenfrost droplet smaller than a characteristic size takes off from the hot substrate because the levitating force due to evaporation can no longer be balanced by the weight of the droplet, as observed in a recent experimental study [Phys. Rev. Lett. 109, 034501 (2012)].

Droplet phase characteristics in liquid-dominated steam--water nozzle flow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alger, T.W.

1978-01-01

An experimental study was undertaken to determine the droplet size distribution, the droplet spatial distribution and the mean droplet velocity in low-quality, steam-water flow from a rectangular cross-section, converging-diverging nozzle. A unique forward light scattering technique was developed for droplet size distribution measurements. Droplet spatial variations were investigated using light transmission measurements, and droplet velocities were measured with a laser-Doppler velocimeter (LDV) system incorporating a confocal Fabry-Perot interferometer. Nozzle throat radius of curvature and height were varied to investigte their effects on droplet size. Droplet size distribution measurements yielded a nominal Sauter mean droplet diameter of 1.7 μm and a nominal mass-mean droplet diameter of 2.4 μm. Neither the throat radius of curvature nor the throat height were found to have a significant effect upon the nozzle exit droplet size. The light transmission and LDV measurement results confirmed both the droplet size measurements and demonstrated high spatial uniformity of the droplet phase within the nozzle jet flow. One-dimensional numerical calculations indicated that both the dynamic breakup (thermal equilibrium based on a critical Weber number of 6.0) and the boiling breakup (thermal nonequilibrium based on average droplet temperature) models predicted droplet diameters on the order of 7.5 μm, which are approximately equal to the maximum stable droplet diameters within the nozzle jet flow

Numerical simulation of droplet formation regimes and sizes in microfluidic T-junction devices

Science.gov (United States)

Nekouei, Mehdi; Vanapalli, Siva

2014-11-01

The T-junction geometry has been widely used for producing monodisperse droplets in microfluidic devices. Droplet formation regimes and sizes are expected to depend on a variety of conditions including flow rates, capillary number, channel geometry and viscosity ratio. Experiments have investigated drop production at a T-junction in a narrow control parameter space and developed analytical models for specific operating regimes. In this study, we take advantage of numerical simulations based on volume-of-fluid method to explore this broad parameter space systematically, and contrast our results with prior experimental data. We find our simulations predict well the regimes of squeezing, dripping and jetting. We also observe that our drop size data is in good agreement with three different experimental reports. Although our results match experimental data, the analytical models do not agree with each other since they are based on specific operating conditions. We use numerical simulations to elucidate the missing components in the physics of drop formation at a T-junction, with an attempt to reconcile existing analytical models.

Preventing droplet deformation during dielectrophoretic centering of a compound emulsion droplet

Science.gov (United States)

Randall, Greg; Blue, Brent

2012-11-01

Compound droplets, or droplets-within-droplets, are traditionally key components in applications ranging from drug delivery to the food industry. Presently, millimeter-sized compound droplets are precursors for shell targets in inertial fusion energy work. However, a key constraint in target fabrication is a uniform shell wall thickness, which in turn requires a centered core droplet in the compound droplet precursor. Previously, Bei et al. (2009, 2010) have shown that compound droplets could be centered in a static fluid using an electric field of 0.7 kV/cm at 20 MHz. Randall et al. (2012) developed a process to center the core of a moving compound droplet, though the ~kV/cm field induced small (fluid mechanics and interfacial rheology perspective and we discuss the effective interfacial charge from an emulsifier and its impact on centering. Work funded by General Atomics Internal R&D.

A parameterization of cloud droplet nucleation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghan, S.J.; Chuang, C.; Penner, J.E.

1993-01-01

Droplet nucleation is a fundamental cloud process. The number of aerosols activated to form cloud droplets influences not only the number of aerosols scavenged by clouds but also the size of the cloud droplets. Cloud droplet size influences the cloud albedo and the conversion of cloud water to precipitation. Global aerosol models are presently being developed with the intention of coupling with global atmospheric circulation models to evaluate the influence of aerosols and aerosol-cloud interactions on climate. If these and other coupled models are to address issues of aerosol-cloud interactions, the droplet nucleation process must be adequately represented. Here we introduce a droplet nucleation parametrization that offers certain advantages over the popular Twomey (1959) parameterization

Settling of fixed erythrocyte suspension droplets

Science.gov (United States)

Omenyi, S. N.; Snyder, R. S.

1983-01-01

It is pointed out that when particles behave collectively rather than individually, the fractionation of micron-size particles on the basis of size, density, and surface characteristics by centrifugation and electrophoresis is hindered. The formation and sedimentation of droplets containing particles represent an extreme example of collective behavior and pose a major problem for these separation methods when large quantities of particles need to be fractionated. Experiments are described that measure droplet sizes and settling rates for a variety of particles and droplets. Expressions relating the particle concentration in a drop to measurable quantities of the fluids and particles are developed. The number of particles in each droplet is then estimated, together with the effective droplet density. Red blood cells from different animals fixed in glutaraldehyde provide model particle groups.

Cross-linking proteins by laccase: Effects on the droplet size and rheology of emulsions stabilized by sodium caseinate.

Science.gov (United States)

Sato, A C K; Perrechil, F A; Costa, A A S; Santana, R C; Cunha, R L

2015-09-01

The aim of this work was to evaluate the influence of laccase and ferulic acid on the characteristics of oil-in-water emulsions stabilized by sodium caseinate at different pH (3, 5 and 7). Emulsions were prepared by high pressure homogenization of soybean oil with sodium caseinate solution containing varied concentrations of laccase (0, 1 and 5mg/mL) and ferulic acid (5 and 10mM). Laccase treatment and pH exerted a strong influence on the properties with a consequent effect on stability, structure and rheology of emulsions stabilized by Na-caseinate. At pH7, O/W emulsions were kinetically stable due to the negative protein charge which enabled electrostatic repulsion between oil droplets resulting in an emulsion with small droplet size, low viscosity, pseudoplasticity and viscoelastic properties. The laccase treatment led to emulsions showing shear-thinning behavior as a result of a more structured system. O/W emulsions at pH5 and 3 showed phase separation due to the proximity to protein pI, but the laccase treatment improved their stability of emulsions especially at pH3. At pH3, the addition of ferulic acid and laccase produced emulsions with larger droplet size but with narrower droplet size distribution, increased viscosity, pseudoplasticity and viscoelastic properties (gel-like behavior). Comparing laccase treatments, the combined addition of laccase and ferulic acid generally produced emulsions with lower stability (pH5), larger droplet size (pH3, 5 and 7) and higher pseudoplasticity (pH5 and 7) than emulsion with only ferulic acid. The results suggested that the cross-linking of proteins by laccase and ferulic acid improved protein emulsifying properties by changing functional mechanisms of the protein on emulsion structure and rheology, showing that sodium caseinate can be successfully used in acid products when treated with laccase. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mathematical model for prediction of droplet sizes and distribution associated with impact of liquid-containing projectile

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shelke, Ashish V.; Gera, B.; Maheshwari, N.K.; Singh, R.K.

2018-01-01

After the events of 9/11, the impact of fast flying commercial aircraft is considered as major hazard threatening the Nuclear Power Plant's (NPP) safety. The study of fuel spillage phenomenon and fireball formation is important to understand fire hazards due to burning of dispersed aviation fuel. The detailed analysis of fuel dispersion is very difficult to deliberate because both, large NPP structures and the large size of commercial aircrafts. Sandia National Laboratories, USA conducted impact tests using cylindrical projectiles filled with water to measure the associated parameters. Due to combustion properties and volatile nature of hydrocarbon fuels, the obtained parameters from impact studies using water are incomplete in fire analysis of flammable droplet clouds. A mathematical model is developed for prediction of droplet sizes and distribution associated with the impact of a liquid-containing projectile. The model can predict the transient behavior of droplet cloud. It is validated with experimental data available in literature. In the present study, the analysis has been performed using water and kerosene. The data obtained can be utilized as boundary and initial condition for CFD analysis. This information is useful for fire hazard analysis of aircraft impacts on NPP structures.

A Conserved Role for Atlastin GTPases in Regulating Lipid Droplet Size

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robin W. Klemm

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Lipid droplets (LDs are the major fat storage organelles in eukaryotic cells, but how their size is regulated is unknown. Using genetic screens in C. elegans for LD morphology defects in intestinal cells, we found that mutations in atlastin, a GTPase required for homotypic fusion of endoplasmic reticulum (ER membranes, cause not only ER morphology defects, but also a reduction in LD size. Similar results were obtained after depletion of atlastin or expression of a dominant-negative mutant, whereas overexpression of atlastin had the opposite effect. Atlastin depletion in Drosophila fat bodies also reduced LD size and decreased triglycerides in whole animals, sensitizing them to starvation. In mammalian cells, co-overexpression of atlastin-1 and REEP1, a paralog of the ER tubule-shaping protein DP1/REEP5, generates large LDs. The effect of atlastin-1 on LD size correlates with its activity to promote membrane fusion in vitro. Our results indicate that atlastin-mediated fusion of ER membranes is important for LD size regulation.

Synthesis of nanometer-sized fayalite and magnesium-iron(II) mixture olivines

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Qafoku, Odeta; Ilton, Eugene S.; Bowden, Mark E.; Kovarik, Libor; Zhang, Xin; Kukkadapu, Ravi K.; Engelhard, Mark H.; Thompson, Christopher J.; Schaef, Herbert T.; McGrail, Bernard Peter; Rosso, Kevin M.; Loring, John S.

2018-04-01

Olivines are divalent orthosilicates with important geologic, biological, and industrial significance and are typically comprised of mixtures of Mg2+ and Fe2+ ranging from forsterite (Mg2SiO4) to fayalite (Fe2SiO4). Investigating the role of Fe(II) in olivine reactivity requires the ability to synthesize olivines that are nanometer-sized, have different percentages of Mg2+ and Fe2+, and have good bulk and surface purity. This article demonstrates a new method for synthesizing nanosized fayalite and Mg-Fe mixture olivines. First, carbonaceous precursors are generated from sucrose, PVA, colloidal silica, Mg2+, and Fe3+. Second, these precursors are calcined in air to burn carbon and create mixtures of Fe(III)-oxides, forsterite, and SiO2. Finally, calcination in reducing CO-CO2 gas buffer leads to Fe(II)-rich olivines. XRD, Mössbauer, and IR analyses verify good bulk purity and composition. XPS indicates that surface iron is in its reduced Fe(II) form, and surface Si is consistent with olivine. SEM shows particle sizes predominately between 50 and 450 nm, and BET surface areas are 2.8-4.2 m2/g. STEM HAADF analysis demonstrates even distributions of Mg and Fe among the available M1 and M2 sites of the olivine crystals. These nanosized Fe(II)-rich olivines are suitable for laboratory studies with in situ probes that require mineral samples with high reactivity at short timescales.

Modelling for post-dryout heat transfer and droplet sizes at low pressure and low flow conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jeong, H.Y.; No, H.C.

1996-01-01

A correlation describing the initial droplet size just after the CHF position at low mass flux is suggested through regression analysis. The history-dependent post-dryout model of Varone and Rohsenow replaced by the Webb-Chen model for wall-vapor heat transfer is used as a reference model in the analysis. In the post-dryout region at low pressure and low flow, it is found that the suggested one-dimensional mechanistic model is valid only in the churn-turbulent flow regime (j* g = 0.5 ∼ 4.5). It is also suggested that the droplet size generated from the churn-turbulent surface is dependent not only on the pressure but also on the vapor velocity. It turns out that the present model can predict the measured cladding and vapor temperatures within 20% and 15%, respectively

Surface effects on ionic Coulomb blockade in nanometer-size pores.

Science.gov (United States)

Tanaka, Hiroya; Iizuka, Hideo; Pershin, Yuriy V; Ventra, Massimiliano Di

2018-01-12

Ionic Coulomb blockade in nanopores is a phenomenon that shares some similarities but also differences with its electronic counterpart. Here, we investigate this phenomenon extensively using all-atom molecular dynamics of ionic transport through nanopores of about one nanometer in diameter and up to several nanometers in length. Our goal is to better understand the role of atomic roughness and structure of the pore walls in the ionic Coulomb blockade. Our numerical results reveal the following general trends. First, the nanopore selectivity changes with its diameter, and the nanopore position in the membrane influences the current strength. Second, the ionic transport through the nanopore takes place in a hopping-like fashion over a set of discretized states caused by local electric fields due to membrane atoms. In some cases, this creates a slow-varying 'crystal-like' structure of ions inside the nanopore. Third, while at a given voltage, the resistance of the nanopore depends on its length, the slope of this dependence appears to be independent of the molarity of ions. An effective kinetic model that captures the ionic Coulomb blockade behavior observed in MD simulations is formulated.

Surface effects on ionic Coulomb blockade in nanometer-size pores

Science.gov (United States)

Tanaka, Hiroya; Iizuka, Hideo; Pershin, Yuriy V.; Di Ventra, Massimiliano

2018-01-01

Ionic Coulomb blockade in nanopores is a phenomenon that shares some similarities but also differences with its electronic counterpart. Here, we investigate this phenomenon extensively using all-atom molecular dynamics of ionic transport through nanopores of about one nanometer in diameter and up to several nanometers in length. Our goal is to better understand the role of atomic roughness and structure of the pore walls in the ionic Coulomb blockade. Our numerical results reveal the following general trends. First, the nanopore selectivity changes with its diameter, and the nanopore position in the membrane influences the current strength. Second, the ionic transport through the nanopore takes place in a hopping-like fashion over a set of discretized states caused by local electric fields due to membrane atoms. In some cases, this creates a slow-varying ‘crystal-like’ structure of ions inside the nanopore. Third, while at a given voltage, the resistance of the nanopore depends on its length, the slope of this dependence appears to be independent of the molarity of ions. An effective kinetic model that captures the ionic Coulomb blockade behavior observed in MD simulations is formulated.

Measurements of droplet size distribution and in-cylinder mixture formation from a slit injector in a direct-injection gasoline engine

Science.gov (United States)

Moon, S.; Choi, J.; Yeom, K.; Bae, C.

2007-10-01

The droplet size distribution and in-cylinder mixture formation of a slit injector were investigated under varied fuel temperature and air flow conditions. This variance in fuel temperature and air flow represents the altered spray momentum and external forces acting upon the spray. Phase Doppler anemometry (PDA) was used to investigate the effect of fuel temperature and air flow on droplet size distribution. The in-cylinder mixture formation process and the factors affecting the in-cylinder mixture distribution were analyzed under various fuel temperature and air flow conditions using laser induced fluorescence (LIF). When the fuel temperature and air flow velocity increased, the smaller droplets were entrained to the upper and central parts of the spray altering the initial droplet size distribution. The reduced spray momentum decreased the spray penetration in the combustion chamber, and the interaction between the spray and piston bowl was degraded. This phenomenon eventually caused a relatively lean and dispersed mixture distribution near the spark plug at high fuel temperatures. The optimal spray momentum and external force depend on the fuel quantity (air-fuel ratio) and piston bowl shape. Consequently, the spray momentum and the external forces acting upon the spray should be optimized to form the stoichiometric and well-distributed mixture near the spark plug.

Measurements of droplet size distribution and in-cylinder mixture formation from a slit injector in a direct-injection gasoline engine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moon, S; Choi, J; Yeom, K; Bae, C

2007-01-01

The droplet size distribution and in-cylinder mixture formation of a slit injector were investigated under varied fuel temperature and air flow conditions. This variance in fuel temperature and air flow represents the altered spray momentum and external forces acting upon the spray. Phase Doppler anemometry (PDA) was used to investigate the effect of fuel temperature and air flow on droplet size distribution. The in-cylinder mixture formation process and the factors affecting the in-cylinder mixture distribution were analyzed under various fuel temperature and air flow conditions using laser induced fluorescence (LIF). When the fuel temperature and air flow velocity increased, the smaller droplets were entrained to the upper and central parts of the spray altering the initial droplet size distribution. The reduced spray momentum decreased the spray penetration in the combustion chamber, and the interaction between the spray and piston bowl was degraded. This phenomenon eventually caused a relatively lean and dispersed mixture distribution near the spark plug at high fuel temperatures. The optimal spray momentum and external force depend on the fuel quantity (air-fuel ratio) and piston bowl shape. Consequently, the spray momentum and the external forces acting upon the spray should be optimized to form the stoichiometric and well-distributed mixture near the spark plug

Droplet generation during core reflood

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kocamustafaogullari, G.; De Jarlais, G.; Ishii, M.

1983-01-01

The process of entrainment and disintegration of liquid droplets by a flow of steam has considerable practical importance in calculating the effectivenes of the emergency core cooling system. Liquid entrainment is also important in determination of the critical heat flux point in general. Thus the analysis of the reflooding phase of a LOCA requires detailed knowledge of droplet size. Droplet size is mainly determined by the droplet generation mechanisms involved. To study these mechanisms, data generated in the PWR FLECHT SEASET series of experiments was analyzed. In addition, an experiment was performed in which the hydrodynamics of low quality post-CHF flow (inverted annular flow) were simulated in an adiabatic test section

Tracing temperature in a nanometer size region in a picosecond time period.

Science.gov (United States)

Nakajima, Kaoru; Kitayama, Takumi; Hayashi, Hiroaki; Matsuda, Makoto; Sataka, Masao; Tsujimoto, Masahiko; Toulemonde, Marcel; Bouffard, Serge; Kimura, Kenji

2015-08-21

Irradiation of materials with either swift heavy ions or slow highly charged ions leads to ultrafast heating on a timescale of several picosecond in a region of several nanometer. This ultrafast local heating result in formation of nanostructures, which provide a number of potential applications in nanotechnologies. These nanostructures are believed to be formed when the local temperature rises beyond the melting or boiling point of the material. Conventional techniques, however, are not applicable to measure temperature in such a localized region in a short time period. Here, we propose a novel method for tracing temperature in a nanometer region in a picosecond time period by utilizing desorption of gold nanoparticles around the ion impact position. The feasibility is examined by comparing with the temperature evolution predicted by a theoretical model.

Stochastic modelling in design of mechanical properties of nanometals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tengen, T.B.; Wejrzanowski, T.; Iwankiewicz, R.; Kurzydlowski, K.J.

2010-01-01

Polycrystalline nanometals are being fabricated through different processing routes and conditions. The consequence is that nanometals having the same mean grain size may have different grain size dispersion and, hence, may have different material properties. This has often led to conflicting reports from both theoretical and experimental findings about the evolutions of the mechanical properties of nanomaterials. The present paper employs stochastic model to study the impact of microstructure evolution during grain growth on the mechanical properties of polycrystalline nanometals. The stochastic model for grain growth and the stochastic model for changes in mechanical properties of nanomaterials are proposed. The model for the mechanical properties developed is tested on aluminium samples.Many salient features of the mechanical properties of the aluminium samples are revealed. The results show that the different mechanisms of grain growth impart different nature of response to the material mechanical properties. The conventional, homologous and anomalous temperature dependences of the yield stress have also been revealed to be due to different nature of interactions of the microstructures during evolution.

Two-phase flow patterns and size distribution of droplets in a microfluidic T-junction: Experimental observations in the squeezing regime

Science.gov (United States)

Mahdi, Yassine; Daoud, Kamel; Tadrist, Lounès

2017-04-01

Generating micrometer sized droplets has been studied in a microfluidic system with T-junction geometry 250 μm in internal diameter and with PTFE capillary tubing. Several experiments were conducted by varying the flow rate of the dispersed phase from 2.78 ṡ10-11 m3 /s to 5.28 ṡ10-9 m3 /s and that of the continuous phase from 2.78 ṡ10-10 m3 /s to 1.94 ṡ10-9 m3 /s. The visualization of different flow regimes (drop, plug, and annular) was carried out for three configurations (not inverted in a horizontal position, inverted in a horizontal position, and inverted in a vertical position) for low capillary numbers. The model of Gauss was also chosen for a droplet size distribution in the dispersed phase, with the flow quality x varying from 0.016 to 0.44. The evolution of the drop size distribution as a function of the flow quality in the dispersed phase shows that the variation coefficient of the droplet's diameter is inversely proportional to the flow quality.

Self-propelled oil droplets consuming "fuel" surfactant

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Toyota, Taro; Maru, Naoto; Hanczyc, Martin M

2009-01-01

A micrometer-sized oil droplet of 4-octylaniline containing 5 mol % of an amphiphilic catalyst exhibited a self-propelled motion, producing tiny oil droplets, in an aqueous dispersion of an amphiphilic precursor of 4-octylaniline. The tiny droplets on the surface of the self-propelled droplet wer...

Spray droplet size, drift potential, and risks to nontarget organisms from aerially applied glyphosate for coca control in Colombia.

Science.gov (United States)

Hewitt, Andrew J; Solomon, Keith R; Marshall, E J P

2009-01-01

A wind tunnel atomization study was conducted to measure the emission droplet size spectra for water and Glyphos (a glyphosate formulation sold in Colombia) + Cosmo-flux sprays for aerial application to control coca and poppy crops in Colombia. The droplet size spectra were measured in a wind tunnel for an Accu-Flo nozzle (with 16 size 0.085 [2.16 mm] orifices), under appropriate simulated aircraft speeds (up to 333 km/h), using a laser diffraction instrument covering a dynamic size range for droplets of 0.5 to 3,500 microm. The spray drift potential of the glyphosate was modeled using the AGDISP spray application and drift model, using input parameters representative of those occurring in Colombia for typical aerial application operations. The droplet size spectra for tank mixes containing glyphosate and Cosmo-Flux were considerably finer than water and became finer with higher aircraft speeds. The tank mix with 44% glyphosate had a D(v0.5) of 128 microm, while the value at the 4.9% glyphosate rate was 140 microm. These are classified as very fine to fine sprays. Despite being relatively fine, modeling showed that the droplets would not evaporate as rapidly as most similarly sized agricultural sprays because the nonvolatile proportion of the tank mix (active and inert adjuvant ingredients) was large. Thus, longer range drift is small and most drift that does occur will deposit relatively close to the application area. Drift will only occur downwind and, with winds of velocity less than the modeled maximum of 9 km/h, the drift distance would be substantially reduced. Spray drift potential might be additionally reduced through various practices such as the selection of nozzles, tank mix adjuvants, aircraft speeds, and spray pressures that would produce coarser sprays. Species sensitivity distributions to glyphosate were constructed for plants and amphibians. Based on modeled drift and 5th centile concentrations, appropriate no-spray buffer zones (distance from the

Computational Analysis of Droplet Mass and Size Effect on Mist/Air Impingement Cooling Performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhenglei Yu

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Impingement cooling has been widely employed to cool gas turbine hot components such as combustor liners, combustor transition pieces, turbine vanes, and blades. A promising technology is proposed to enhance impingement cooling with water droplets injection. However, previous studies were conducted on blade shower head film cooling, and less attention was given to the transition piece cooling. As a continuous effort to develop a realistic mist impingement cooling scheme, this paper focuses on simulating mist impingement cooling under typical gas turbine operating conditions of high temperature and pressure in a double chamber model. Furthermore, the paper presents the effect of cooling effectiveness by changing the mass and size of the droplets. Based on the heat-mass transfer analogy, the results of these experiments prove that the mass of 3E – 3 kg/s droplets with diameters of 5–35 μm could enhance 90% cooling effectiveness and reduce 122 K of wall temperature. The results of this paper can provide guidance for corresponding experiments and serve as the qualification reference for future more complicated studies with convex surface cooling.

Dual-nozzle microfluidic droplet generator

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Ji Wook; Lee, Jong Min; Kim, Tae Hyun; Ha, Jang Ho; Ahrberg, Christian D.; Chung, Bong Geun

2018-05-01

The droplet-generating microfluidics has become an important technique for a variety of applications ranging from single cell analysis to nanoparticle synthesis. Although there are a large number of methods for generating and experimenting with droplets on microfluidic devices, the dispensing of droplets from these microfluidic devices is a challenge due to aggregation and merging of droplets at the interface of microfluidic devices. Here, we present a microfluidic dual-nozzle device for the generation and dispensing of uniform-sized droplets. The first nozzle of the microfluidic device is used for the generation of the droplets, while the second nozzle can accelerate the droplets and increase the spacing between them, allowing for facile dispensing of droplets. Computational fluid dynamic simulations were conducted to optimize the design parameters of the microfluidic device.

Synthesis of nanometer-size inorganic materials for the examination of particle size effects on heterogeneous catalysis

Science.gov (United States)

Emerson, Sean Christian

The effect of acoustic and hydrodynamic cavitation on the precipitation of inorganic catalytic materials, specifically titania supported gold, was investigated. The overall objective was to understand the fundamental factors involved in synthesizing nanometer-size catalytic materials in the 1--10 nm range in a cavitating field. Materials with grain sizes in this range have been associated with enhanced catalytic activity compared to larger grain size materials. A new chemical approach was used to produce titania supported gold by co-precipitation with higher gold yields compared to other synthesis methods. Using this approach, it was determined that acoustic cavitation was unable to influence the gold mean crystallite size compared to non-sonicated catalysts. However, gold concentration on the catalysts was found to be very important for CO oxidation activity. By decreasing the gold concentration from a weight loading of 0.50% down to approximately 0.05%, the rate of reaction per mole of gold was found to increase by a factor of 19. Hydrodynamic cavitation at low pressures (6.9--48 bar) was determined to have no effect on gold crystallite size at a fixed gold content for the same precipitation technique used in the acoustic cavitation studies. By changing the chemistry of the precipitation system, however, it was found that a synergy existed between the dilution of the gold precursor solution, the orifice diameter, and the reducing agent addition rate. Individually, these factors were found to have little effect and only their interaction allowed gold grain size control in the range of 8--80 nm. Further modification of the system chemistry and the use of hydrodynamic cavitation at pressures in excess of 690 bar allowed the systematic control of gold crystallite size in the range of 2--9 nm for catalysts containing 2.27 +/- 0.17% gold. In addition, it was shown that the enhanced mixing due to cavitation led to larger gold yields compared to classical syntheses. The

Mean droplet size and local velocity in horizontal isothermal free jets of air and water, respectively, viscous liquid in quiescent ambient air

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Al Rabadi, S.; Friedel, L. [Fluid Mechanics Institute, Technical University of Hamburg-Harburg (Germany); Al Salaymeh, A. [Mechanical Engineering Department, University of Jordan (Jordan)

2007-01-15

Measurements using two-dimensional Phase Doppler Anemometry as well as high speed cinematography in free jets at several nozzle exit pressures and mass flow rates, show that the Sauter mean droplet diameter decreases with increasing air and liquid-phase mass flow ratio due to the increase of the air stream impact on the liquid phase. This leads to substantial liquid fragmentation, respectively primary droplet breakup, and hence, satellite droplet formation with small sizes. This trend is also significant in the case of a liquid viscosity higher than that of water. The increased liquid viscosity stabilizes the droplet formation and breakup by reducing the rate of surface perturbations and consequently droplet distortions, ultimately also leading, in total, to the formation of smaller droplets. The droplet velocity decreases with the nozzle downstream distance, basically due to the continual air entrainment and due to the collisions between the droplets. The droplet collisions may induce further liquid fragmentation and, hence, formation of a number of relatively smaller droplets respectively secondary breakup, or may induce agglomeration to comparatively larger liquid fragments that may rain out of the free jet. (Abstract Copyright [2007], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Model of formation of droplets during electric arc surfacing of functional coatings

Science.gov (United States)

Sarychev, Vladimir D.; Granovskii, Alexei Yu; Nevskii, Sergey A.; Gromov, Victor E.

2016-01-01

The mathematical model was developed for the initial stage of formation of an electrode metal droplet in the process of arc welding. Its essence lies in the fact that the presence of a temperature gradient in the boundary layer of the molten metal causes thermo-capillary instability, which leads to the formation of electrode metal droplets. A system of equations including Navier-Stokes equations, heat conduction and Maxwell's equations was solved as well as the boundary conditions for the system electrodes-plasma. Dispersion equation for thermo-capillary waves in the linear approximation for the plane layer was received and analyzed. The values of critical wavelengths, at which thermo-capillary instability appears in the nanometer wavelength range, were found. The parameters at which the mode of a fine-droplet transfer of the material takes place were theoretically defined.

The dynamics of milk droplet-droplet collisions

Science.gov (United States)

Finotello, Giulia; Kooiman, Roeland F.; Padding, Johan T.; Buist, Kay A.; Jongsma, Alfred; Innings, Fredrik; Kuipers, J. A. M.

2018-01-01

Spray drying is an important industrial process to produce powdered milk, in which concentrated milk is atomized into small droplets and dried with hot gas. The characteristics of the produced milk powder are largely affected by agglomeration, combination of dry and partially dry particles, which in turn depends on the outcome of a collision between droplets. The high total solids (TS) content and the presence of milk proteins cause a relatively high viscosity of the fed milk concentrates, which is expected to largely influence the collision outcomes of drops inside the spray. It is therefore of paramount importance to predict and control the outcomes of binary droplet collisions. Only a few studies report on droplet collisions of high viscous liquids and no work is available on droplet collisions of milk concentrates. The current study therefore aims to obtain insight into the effect of viscosity on the outcome of binary collisions between droplets of milk concentrates. To cover a wide range of viscosity values, three milk concentrates (20, 30 and 46% TS content) are investigated. An experimental set-up is used to generate two colliding droplet streams with consistent droplet size and spacing. A high-speed camera is used to record the trajectories of the droplets. The recordings are processed by Droplet Image Analysis in MATLAB to determine the relative velocities and the impact geometries for each individual collision. The collision outcomes are presented in a regime map dependent on the dimensionless impact parameter and Weber ( We) number. The Ohnesorge ( Oh) number is introduced to describe the effect of viscosity from one liquid to another and is maintained constant for each regime map by using a constant droplet diameter ( d ˜ 700 μ m). In this work, a phenomenological model is proposed to describe the boundaries demarcating the coalescence-separation regimes. The collision dynamics and outcome of milk concentrates are compared with aqueous glycerol

Droplet Size-Aware and Error-Correcting Sample Preparation Using Micro-Electrode-Dot-Array Digital Microfluidic Biochips.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Zipeng; Lai, Kelvin Yi-Tse; Chakrabarty, Krishnendu; Ho, Tsung-Yi; Lee, Chen-Yi

2017-12-01

Sample preparation in digital microfluidics refers to the generation of droplets with target concentrations for on-chip biochemical applications. In recent years, digital microfluidic biochips (DMFBs) have been adopted as a platform for sample preparation. However, there remain two major problems associated with sample preparation on a conventional DMFB. First, only a (1:1) mixing/splitting model can be used, leading to an increase in the number of fluidic operations required for sample preparation. Second, only a limited number of sensors can be integrated on a conventional DMFB; as a result, the latency for error detection during sample preparation is significant. To overcome these drawbacks, we adopt a next generation DMFB platform, referred to as micro-electrode-dot-array (MEDA), for sample preparation. We propose the first sample-preparation method that exploits the MEDA-specific advantages of fine-grained control of droplet sizes and real-time droplet sensing. Experimental demonstration using a fabricated MEDA biochip and simulation results highlight the effectiveness of the proposed sample-preparation method.

Lipid droplet size and location in human skeletal muscle fibers are associated with insulin sensitivity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Joachim; Christensen, Anders E; Nellemann, Birgitte

2017-01-01

In skeletal muscle, an accumulation of lipid droplets (LDs) in the subsarcolemmal space is associated with insulin resistance, but the underlying mechanism is not clear. We aimed to investigate how the size, number and location of LDs are associated with insulin sensitivity and muscle fiber types...... are associated with insulin resistance in skeletal muscle....

High-efficiency single cell encapsulation and size selective capture of cells in picoliter droplets based on hydrodynamic micro-vortices.

Science.gov (United States)

Kamalakshakurup, Gopakumar; Lee, Abraham P

2017-12-05

Single cell analysis has emerged as a paradigm shift in cell biology to understand the heterogeneity of individual cells in a clone for pathological interrogation. Microfluidic droplet technology is a compelling platform to perform single cell analysis by encapsulating single cells inside picoliter-nanoliter (pL-nL) volume droplets. However, one of the primary challenges for droplet based single cell assays is single cell encapsulation in droplets, currently achieved either randomly, dictated by Poisson statistics, or by hydrodynamic techniques. In this paper, we present an interfacial hydrodynamic technique which initially traps the cells in micro-vortices, and later releases them one-to-one into the droplets, controlled by the width of the outer streamline that separates the vortex from the flow through the streaming passage adjacent to the aqueous-oil interface (d gap ). One-to-one encapsulation is achieved at a d gap equal to the radius of the cell, whereas complete trapping of the cells is realized at a d gap smaller than the radius of the cell. The unique feature of this technique is that it can perform 1. high efficiency single cell encapsulations and 2. size-selective capturing of cells, at low cell loading densities. Here we demonstrate these two capabilities with a 50% single cell encapsulation efficiency and size selective separation of platelets, RBCs and WBCs from a 10× diluted blood sample (WBC capture efficiency at 70%). The results suggest a passive, hydrodynamic micro-vortex based technique capable of performing high-efficiency single cell encapsulation for cell based assays.

Bioaccessibility and Cellular Uptake of β-Carotene Encapsulated in Model O/W Emulsions: Influence of Initial Droplet Size and Emulsifiers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wei Lu

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The effects of the initial emulsion structure (droplet size and emulsifier on the properties of β-carotene-loaded emulsions and the bioavailability of β-carotene after passing through simulated gastrointestinal tract (GIT digestion were investigated. Exposure to GIT significantly changed the droplet size, surface charge and composition of all emulsions, and these changes were dependent on their initial droplet size and the emulsifiers used. Whey protein isolate (WPI-stabilized emulsion showed the highest β-carotene bioaccessibility, while sodium caseinate (SCN-stabilized emulsion showed the highest cellular uptake of β-carotene. The bioavailability of emulsion-encapsulated β-carotene based on the results of bioaccessibility and cellular uptake showed the same order with the results of cellular uptake being SCN > TW80 > WPI. An inconsistency between the results of bioaccessibility and bioavailability was observed, indicating that the cellular uptake assay is necessary for a reliable evaluation of the bioavailability of emulsion-encapsulated compounds. The findings in this study contribute to a better understanding of the correlation between emulsion structure and the digestive fate of emulsion-encapsulated nutrients, which make it possible to achieve controlled or potential targeted delivery of nutrients by designing the structure of emulsion-based carriers.

The impact of smoke from forest fires on the spectral dispersion of cloud droplet size distributions in the Amazonian region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martins, J A; Silva Dias, M A F

2009-01-01

In this paper, the main microphysical characteristics of clouds developing in polluted and clean conditions in the biomass-burning season of the Amazon region are examined, with special attention to the spectral dispersion of the cloud droplet size distribution and its potential impact on climate modeling applications. The dispersion effect has been shown to alter the climate cooling predicted by the so-called Twomey effect. In biomass-burning polluted conditions, high concentrations of low dispersed cloud droplets are found. Clean conditions revealed an opposite situation. The liquid water content (0.43 ± 0.19 g m -3 ) is shown to be uncorrelated with the cloud drop number concentration, while the effective radius is found to be very much correlated with the relative dispersion of the size distribution (R 2 = 0.81). The results suggest that an increase in cloud condensation nuclei concentration from biomass-burning aerosols may lead to an additional effect caused by a decrease in relative dispersion. Since the dry season in the Amazonian region is vapor limiting, the dispersion effect of cloud droplet size distributions could be substantially larger than in other polluted regions.

Relativistic attosecond electron bunch emission from few-cycle laser irradiated nanoscale droplets

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laura Di Lucchio

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Attosecond electron bunches produced at the surface of nanometer-scale droplets illuminated by a two-cycle laser pulse are investigated for the purpose of determining their optimal emission characteristics. Significant departures from Mie theory are found for electron bunch emission from droplets whose radii satisfy the condition δ_{r}droplets is subject to a transitional regime which is neither accounted for by optical Mie theory valid for R≫δ, where δ is the usual plasma skin depth, nor with the Rayleigh regime (R<δ≪λ. Instead the angular emission of the bunches is to a good approximation described by the nonlinear ponderomotive scattering model. Subsequently, the bunches are subject to further deflection by the ponderomotive pressure of the copropagating laser field in vacuum, depending on the initial droplet parameters. Final emission angles are estimated, together with the energy spectrum of the bunches.

Peri-Implant Endosseous Healing Properties of Dual Acid-Etched Mini-Implants with a Nanometer-Sized Deposition of CaP : A Histological and Histomorphometric Human Study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Telleman, Gerdien; Albrektsson, Tomas; Hoffman, Maria; Johansson, Carina B.; Vissink, Arjan; Meijer, Henny J. A.; Raghoebar, Gerry M.

2010-01-01

Purpose: The aim of this histological and histomorphometric study was to compare the early peri-implant endosseous healing properties of a dual acid-etched (DAE) surface (Osseotite (R), Implant Innovations Inc., Palm Beach Gardens, FL, USA) with a DAE surface modified with nanometer-sized calcium

In vitro characterization of perfluorocarbon droplets for focused ultrasound therapy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schad, Kelly C; Hynynen, Kullervo, E-mail: khynynen@sri.utoronto.c [Imaging Research, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, 2075 Bayview Ave, Toronto, Ontario M4N 3M5 (Canada); Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto (Canada)

2010-09-07

Focused ultrasound therapy can be enhanced with microbubbles by thermal and cavitation effects. However, localization of treatment is difficult as bioeffects can occur outside of the target region. Spatial control of bubbles can be achieved by ultrasound-induced conversion of liquid perfluorocarbon droplets to gas bubbles. This study was undertaken to determine the acoustic parameters for bubble production by droplet conversion and how it depends on the acoustic conditions and droplet physical parameters. Lipid-encapsulated droplets containing dodecafluoropentane were manufactured with sizes ranging from 1.9 to 7.2 {mu}m in diameter and diluted to a concentration of 8 x 10{sup 6} droplets mL{sup -1}. The droplets were sonicated in vitro with a focused ultrasound transducer and varying frequency and exposure under flow conditions through an acoustically transparent vessel. The sonications were 10 ms in duration at frequencies of 0.578, 1.736 and 2.855 MHz. The pressure threshold for droplet conversion was measured with an active transducer operating in pulse-echo mode and simultaneous measurements of broadband acoustic emissions were performed with passive acoustic detection. The results show that droplets cannot be converted at low frequency without broadband emissions occurring. However, the pressure threshold for droplet conversion decreased with increasing frequency, exposure and droplet size. The pressure threshold for broadband emissions was independent of the droplet size and was 2.9, 4.4 and 5.3 MPa for 0.578, 1736 and 2.855 MHz, respectively. In summary, we have demonstrated that droplet conversion is feasible for clinically relevant sized droplets and acoustic exposures.

In vitro characterization of perfluorocarbon droplets for focused ultrasound therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schad, Kelly C; Hynynen, Kullervo

2010-01-01

Focused ultrasound therapy can be enhanced with microbubbles by thermal and cavitation effects. However, localization of treatment is difficult as bioeffects can occur outside of the target region. Spatial control of bubbles can be achieved by ultrasound-induced conversion of liquid perfluorocarbon droplets to gas bubbles. This study was undertaken to determine the acoustic parameters for bubble production by droplet conversion and how it depends on the acoustic conditions and droplet physical parameters. Lipid-encapsulated droplets containing dodecafluoropentane were manufactured with sizes ranging from 1.9 to 7.2 μm in diameter and diluted to a concentration of 8 x 10 6 droplets mL -1 . The droplets were sonicated in vitro with a focused ultrasound transducer and varying frequency and exposure under flow conditions through an acoustically transparent vessel. The sonications were 10 ms in duration at frequencies of 0.578, 1.736 and 2.855 MHz. The pressure threshold for droplet conversion was measured with an active transducer operating in pulse-echo mode and simultaneous measurements of broadband acoustic emissions were performed with passive acoustic detection. The results show that droplets cannot be converted at low frequency without broadband emissions occurring. However, the pressure threshold for droplet conversion decreased with increasing frequency, exposure and droplet size. The pressure threshold for broadband emissions was independent of the droplet size and was 2.9, 4.4 and 5.3 MPa for 0.578, 1736 and 2.855 MHz, respectively. In summary, we have demonstrated that droplet conversion is feasible for clinically relevant sized droplets and acoustic exposures.

In vitro characterization of perfluorocarbon droplets for focused ultrasound therapy

Science.gov (United States)

Schad, Kelly C.; Hynynen, Kullervo

2010-09-01

Focused ultrasound therapy can be enhanced with microbubbles by thermal and cavitation effects. However, localization of treatment is difficult as bioeffects can occur outside of the target region. Spatial control of bubbles can be achieved by ultrasound-induced conversion of liquid perfluorocarbon droplets to gas bubbles. This study was undertaken to determine the acoustic parameters for bubble production by droplet conversion and how it depends on the acoustic conditions and droplet physical parameters. Lipid-encapsulated droplets containing dodecafluoropentane were manufactured with sizes ranging from 1.9 to 7.2 µm in diameter and diluted to a concentration of 8 × 106 droplets mL-1. The droplets were sonicated in vitro with a focused ultrasound transducer and varying frequency and exposure under flow conditions through an acoustically transparent vessel. The sonications were 10 ms in duration at frequencies of 0.578, 1.736 and 2.855 MHz. The pressure threshold for droplet conversion was measured with an active transducer operating in pulse-echo mode and simultaneous measurements of broadband acoustic emissions were performed with passive acoustic detection. The results show that droplets cannot be converted at low frequency without broadband emissions occurring. However, the pressure threshold for droplet conversion decreased with increasing frequency, exposure and droplet size. The pressure threshold for broadband emissions was independent of the droplet size and was 2.9, 4.4 and 5.3 MPa for 0.578, 1736 and 2.855 MHz, respectively. In summary, we have demonstrated that droplet conversion is feasible for clinically relevant sized droplets and acoustic exposures.

Influence of film dimensions on film droplet formation.

Science.gov (United States)

Holmgren, Helene; Ljungström, Evert

2012-02-01

Aerosol particles may be generated from rupturing liquid films through a droplet formation mechanism. The present work was undertaken with the aim to throw some light on the influence of film dimensions on droplet formation with possible consequences for exhaled breath aerosol formation. The film droplet formation process was mimicked by using a purpose-built device, where fluid films were spanned across holes of known diameters. As the films burst, droplets were formed and the number and size distributions of the resulting droplets were determined. No general relation could be found between hole diameter and the number of droplets generated per unit surface area of fluid film. Averaged over all film sizes, a higher surface tension yielded higher concentrations of droplets. Surface tension did not influence the resulting droplet diameter, but it was found that smaller films generated smaller droplets. This study shows that small fluid films generate droplets as efficiently as large films, and that droplets may well be generated from films with diameters below 1 mm. This has implications for the formation of film droplets from reopening of closed airways because human terminal bronchioles are of similar dimensions. Thus, the results provide support for the earlier proposed mechanism where reopening of closed airways is one origin of exhaled particles.

Electrohydrodynamic simulation of electrically controlled droplet generation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ouedraogo, Yun; Gjonaj, Erion; Weiland, Thomas; Gersem, Herbert De; Steinhausen, Christoph; Lamanna, Grazia; Weigand, Bernhard

2017-01-01

Highlights: • We develop a full electrohydrodynamic simulation approach which allows for the accurate modeling of droplet dynamics under the influence of transient electric fields. The model takes into account conductive, capacitive as well as convective electrical currents in the fluid. • Simulation results are shown for an electrically driven droplet generator using highly conductive acetone droplets and low conductivity pentane droplets, respectively. Excellent agreement with measurement is found. • We investigate the operation characteristic of the droplet generator by computing droplet sizes and detachment times with respect to the applied voltage. • The droplet charging effect is demonstrated for pentane droplets as well as for acetone droplets under long voltage pulses. We show that due to the very different relaxation times, the charging behavior of the two liquids is very different. • We demonstrate that due to this behavior, also the detachment mechanisms for acetone and pentane droplets are different. For low conductivity (pentane) droplets, droplet detachment is only possible after the electric fields are switched off. This is because the effective electric polarization force points upwards, thus, inhibiting the detachment of the droplet from the capillary tip. - Abstract: An electrohydrodynamic model for the simulation of droplet formation, detachment and motion in an electrically driven droplet generator is introduced. The numerical approach is based on the coupled solution of the multiphase flow problem with the charge continuity equation. For the latter, a modified convection-conduction model is applied, taking into account conductive, capacitive as well as convective electrical currents in the fluid. This allows for a proper description of charge relaxation phenomena in the moving fluid. In particular, the charge received by the droplet after detachment is an important parameter influencing the droplet dynamics in the test chamber

Control of charged droplets using electrohydrodynamic repulsion for circular droplet patterning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Bumjoo; Sung, Jungwoo; Lim, Geunbae; Nam, Hyoryung; Kim, Sung Jae; Joo, Sang W

2011-01-01

We report a novel method to form a circular pattern of monodisperse microdroplets using an electrohydrodynamic repulsion (EDR) mechanism. EDR is a phenomenon of electrostatical bounced microdroplets from an accumulated droplet on a bottom substrate. In addition to a regular EDR system, by placing a ring electrode between the capillary and ground substrate, two separate regions were created. A parameter study of two regions was carried out for droplet formation and falling velocity to control the radius of the generated droplets and the circular patterns independently. Based on energy conservation theory, our experimental results showed that the free-falling region exerted crucial influences on the sizes of the circular patterns

Measurement of airborne droplets by the magnesium oxide method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

May, K R

1950-01-01

A complete calibration has been made for the first time of the method of detecting and measuring airborne droplets whereby the permanent impressions made when they strike a layer of magnesium oxide smoked on a glass slide are measured microscopically. A size range of 200 to 10 microns and a wide range of liquids and impact velocities were investigated, and it was found that the ratio of true drop size to impression size is constant at 0.86 for droplets greater than 20 microns of any liquid. The method fails below 10 microns. The calibration was made against an absolute method of droplet measurement, also against the so-called focal-length method. Droplets of any desired size were generated by a uniform spray apparatus.

Passive behavior of a bulk nanostructured 316L austenitic stainless steel consisting of nanometer-sized grains with embedded nano-twin bundles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Tianshu; Liu, Li; Zhang, Bin; Li, Ying; Yan, Fengkai; Tao, Nairong; Wang, Fuhui

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Nanometer-grains (NG) and bundles of nano-twins (NT) is synthesized in 316L. • (NG + NT) and NT enhance the concentration of active Fe Fe in the passive film. • (NG + NT) and NT enhance the passive ability. • A Cr 0 -enriched layer forms at the passive film/metal interface. - Abstract: The passive behavior of a bulk nanostructured 316L austenitic stainless steel consisting of nanometer-sized grains (NG) and nano-twin bundles (NT) are investigated. The electrochemical results indicate that the spontaneous passivation ability and growth rate of passive film are improved. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) shows that a Cr 0 -enriched layer forms at the passive film/metal interface. More nucleation sites afforded by the nanostructures and the enhanced diffusion rate of charged species across the passive film are believed to be responsible for the improved passive ability. The PDM model is introduced to elaborate the microscopic process of passivation

Conductivity of laser printed copper structures limited by nano-crystal grain size and amorphous metal droplet shell

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Winter, Shoshana; Zenou, Michael; Kotler, Zvi

2016-01-01

We present a study of the morphology and electrical properties of copper structures which are printed by laser induced forward transfer from bulk copper. The percentage of voids and the oxidation levels are too low to account for the high resistivities (∼4 to 14 times the resistivity of bulk monocrystalline copper) of these structures. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) images of slices cut from the printed areas using a focused ion beam (FIB) show nano-sized crystal structures with grain sizes that are smaller than the electron free path length. Scattering from such grain boundaries causes a significant increase in the resistivity and can explain the measured resistivities of the structures. The TEM images also show a nano-amorphous layer (∼5 nm) at the droplet boundaries which also contributes to the overall resistivity. Such morphological characteristics are best explained by the ultrafast cooling rate of the molten copper droplets during printing. (paper)

"V-junction": a novel structure for high-speed generation of bespoke droplet flows.

Science.gov (United States)

Ding, Yun; Casadevall i Solvas, Xavier; deMello, Andrew

2015-01-21

We present the use of microfluidic "V-junctions" as a droplet generation strategy that incorporates enhanced performance characteristics when compared to more traditional "T-junction" formats. This includes the ability to generate target-sized droplets from the very first one, efficient switching between multiple input samples, the production of a wide range of droplet sizes (and size gradients) and the facile generation of droplets with residence time gradients. Additionally, the use of V-junction droplet generators enables the suspension and subsequent resumption of droplet flows at times defined by the user. The high degree of operational flexibility allows a wide range of droplet sizes, payloads, spacings and generation frequencies to be obtained, which in turn provides for an enhanced design space for droplet-based experimentation. We show that the V-junction retains the simplicity of operation associated with T-junction formats, whilst offering functionalities normally associated with droplet-on-demand technologies.

A Planar-Fluorescence Imaging Technique for Studying Droplet-Turbulence Interactions in Vaporizing Sprays

Science.gov (United States)

Santavicca, Dom A.; Coy, E.

1990-01-01

Droplet turbulence interactions directly affect the vaporization and dispersion of droplets in liquid sprays and therefore play a major role in fuel oxidizer mixing in liquid fueled combustion systems. Proper characterization of droplet turbulence interactions in vaporizing sprays require measurement of droplet size velocity and size temperature correlations. A planar, fluorescence imaging technique is described which is being developed for simultaneously measuring the size, velocity, and temperature of individual droplets in vaporizing sprays. Preliminary droplet size velocity correlation measurements made with this technique are presented. These measurements are also compared to and show very good agreement with measurements made in the same spray using a phase Doppler particle analyzer.

Measurement of nanoscale molten polymer droplet spreading using atomic force microscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Soleymaniha, Mohammadreza; Felts, Jonathan R.

2018-03-01

We present a technique for measuring molten polymer spreading dynamics with nanometer scale spatial resolution at elevated temperatures using atomic force microscopy (AFM). The experimental setup is used to measure the spreading dynamics of polystyrene droplets with 2 μm diameters at 115-175 °C on sapphire, silicon oxide, and mica. Custom image processing algorithms determine the droplet height, radius, volume, and contact angle of each AFM image over time to calculate the droplet spreading dynamics. The contact angle evolution follows a power law with time with experimentally determined values of -0.29 ± 0.01, -0.08 ± 0.02, and -0.21 ± 0.01 for sapphire, silicon oxide, and mica, respectively. The non-zero steady state contact angles result in a slower evolution of contact angle with time consistent with theories combining molecular kinetic and hydrodynamic models. Monitoring the cantilever phase provides additional information about the local mechanics of the droplet surface. We observe local crystallinity on the molten droplet surface, where crystalline structures appear to nucleate at the contact line and migrate toward the top of the droplet. Increasing the temperature from 115 °C to 175 °C reduced surface crystallinity from 35% to 12%, consistent with increasingly energetically favorable amorphous phase as the temperature approaches the melting temperature. This platform provides a way to measure spreading dynamics of extremely small volumes of heterogeneously complex fluids not possible through other means.

Designed pneumatic valve actuators for controlled droplet breakup and generation.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Jae-Hoon; Lee, Seung-Kon; Lim, Jong-Min; Yang, Seung-Man; Yi, Gi-Ra

2010-02-21

The dynamic breakup of emulsion droplets was demonstrated in double-layered microfluidic devices equipped with designed pneumatic actuators. Uniform emulsion droplets, produced by shearing at a T-junction, were broken into smaller droplets when they passed downstream through constrictions formed by a pneumatically actuated valve in the upper control layer. The valve-assisted droplet breakup was significantly affected by the shape and layout of the control valves on the emulsion flow channel. Interestingly, by actuating the pneumatic valve immediately above the T-junction, the sizes of the emulsion droplets were controlled precisely in a programmatic manner that produced arrays of uniform emulsion droplets in various sizes and dynamic patterns.

Membranes for nanometer-scale mass fast transport

Science.gov (United States)

Bakajin, Olgica [San Leandro, CA; Holt, Jason [Berkeley, CA; Noy, Aleksandr [Belmont, CA; Park, Hyung Gyu [Oakland, CA

2011-10-18

Nanoporous membranes comprising single walled, double walled, and multiwalled carbon nanotubes embedded in a matrix material were fabricated for fluid mechanics and mass transfer studies on the nanometer scale and commercial applications. Average pore size can be 2 nm to 20 nm, or seven nm or less, or two nanometers or less. The membrane can be free of large voids spanning the membrane such that transport of material such as gas or liquid occurs exclusively through the tubes. Fast fluid, vapor, and liquid transport are observed. Versatile micromachining methods can be used for membrane fabrication. A single chip can comprise multiple membranes. These membranes are a robust platform for the study of confined molecular transport, with applications in liquid and gas separations and chemical sensing including desalination, dialysis, and fabric formation.

Simulation of Electrical Discharge Initiated by a Nanometer-Sized Probe in Atmospheric Conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Ran; Chen Chilai; Liu Youjiang; Wang Huanqin; Kong Deyi; Ma Yuan; Cada Michael; Brugger Jürgen

2013-01-01

In this paper, a two-dimensional nanometer scale tip-plate discharge model has been employed to study nanoscale electrical discharge in atmospheric conditions. The field strength distributions in a nanometer scale tip-to-plate electrode arrangement were calculated using the finite element analysis (FEA) method, and the influences of applied voltage amplitude and frequency as well as gas gap distance on the variation of effective discharge range (EDR) on the plate were also investigated and discussed. The simulation results show that the probe with a wide tip will cause a larger effective discharge range on the plate; the field strength in the gap is notably higher than that induced by the sharp tip probe; the effective discharge range will increase linearly with the rise of excitation voltage, and decrease nonlinearly with the rise of gap length. In addition, probe dimension, especially the width/height ratio, affects the effective discharge range in different manners. With the width/height ratio rising from 1:1 to 1:10, the effective discharge range will maintain stable when the excitation voltage is around 50 V. This will increase when the excitation voltage gets higher and decrease as the excitation voltage gets lower. Furthermore, when the gap length is 5 nm and the excitation voltage is below 20 V, the diameter of EDR in our simulation is about 150 nm, which is consistent with the experiment results reported by other research groups. Our work provides a preliminary understanding of nanometer scale discharges and establishes a predictive structure-behavior relationship

Size, velocity, and concentration in suspension measurements of spherical droplets and cylindrical jets.

Science.gov (United States)

Onofri, F; Bergougnoux, L; Firpo, J L; Misguich-Ripault, J

1999-07-20

The principle of an optical technique for simultaneous velocity, size, and concentration in suspension measurements of spherical droplets and cylindrical jets is proposed. This technique is based on phase Doppler anemometry working in the dual burst technique configuration. The particle size and velocity are deduced from the reflected signal phase and frequency, whereas the amplitude ratio between the refracted and the reflected signals is used for measuring the concentration of small scatterers inside the particles. Numerical simulations, based on geometrical optics and a Monte Carlo model, and an experimental validation test on cylindrical jets made of various suspensions, are used to validate the principle of the proposed technique. It is believed that this new technique could be useful in investigating processes in which liquid suspensions are sprayed for surface coating, drying, or combustion applications.

Optical properties of (nanometer MCM-41)-(malachite green) composite materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Xiaodong; Zhai Qingzhou; Zou Mingqiang

2010-01-01

Nanosized materials loaded with organic dyes are of interest with respect to novel optical applications. The optical properties of malachite green (MG) in MCM-41 are considerably influenced by the limited nanoporous channels of nanometer MCM-41. Nanometer MCM-41 was synthesized by tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) as the source of silica and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTMAB) as the template. The liquid-phase grafting method has been employed for incorporation of the malachite green molecules into the channels of nanometer MCM-41. A comparative study has been carried out on the adsorption of the malachite green into modified MCM-41 and unmodified MCM-41. The modified MCM-41 was synthesized using a silylation reagent, trimethychlorosilane (TMSCl), which functionalized the surface of nanometer MCM-41 for proper host-guest interaction. The prepared (nanometer MCM-41)-MG samples have been studied by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, low-temperature nitrogen adsorption-desorption technique at 77 K, Raman spectra and luminescence studies. In the prepared (nanometer MCM-41)-MG composite materials, the frameworks of the host molecular sieve were kept intact and the MG located inside the pores of MCM-41. Compared with the MG, it is found that the prepared composite materials perform a considerable luminescence. The excitation and emission spectra of MG in both modified MCM-41 and unmodified MCM-41 were examined to explore the structural effects on the optical properties of MG. The results of luminescence spectra indicated that the MG molecules existed in monomer form within MCM-41. However, the luminescent intensity of MG incorporated in the modified MCM-41 are higher than that of MG encapsulated in unmodified MCM-41, which may be due to the anchored methyl groups on the channels of the nanometer MCM-41 and the strong host-guest interactions. The steric effect from the pore size of the host materials is significant. Raman

Shear Flow Instabilities and Droplet Size Effects on Aerosol Jet Printing Resolution

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Guang; Gu, Yuan; Hines, Daniel; Das, Siddhartha; LaboratoryPhysical Science Collaboration; Soft Matter, Interfaces, Energy Laboratory Collaboration

2017-11-01

Aerosol Jet printing (AJP) is an additive technology utilizing aerodynamic focusing to produce fine feature down to 10 micrometers that can be used in the manufacture of wearable electronics and biosensors. The main concern of the current technology is related to unstable printing resolution, which is usually assessed by effective line width, edge smoothness, overspray and connectivity. In this work, we perform a 3D CFD model to study the aerodynamic instabilities induced by the annular shear flow (sheath gas flow or ShGF) trapped with the aerosol jet (carried gas flow or CGF) with ink droplets. Extensive experiments on line morphology have shown that by increasing ShGF, one can first obtain thinner line width, and then massive overspray is witnessed at very large ShGF/ CGF ratio. Besides the fact that shear-layer instabilities usually trigger eddy currents at comparatively low Reynolds number 600, the tolerance of deposition components assembling will also propagate large offsets of the deposited feather. We also carried out detailed analysis on droplet size and deposition range on the printing resolution. This study is intended to come up with a solution on controlling the operating parameters for finer printed features, and offer an improvement strategy on next generation.

Preparation and Characterization of Some Nanometal Oxides Using Microwave Technique and Their Application to Cotton Fabrics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Gouda

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The objective of this paper is the synthesis of some nanometal oxides via microwave irradiation technique and their application to augment multifunctional properties of cotton fabric. Cotton fabrics containing nanometal oxides were prepared via a thiol-modification of cotton fabric samples and then dipped into the metal salt solutions precursors and transferred to the microwave oven. The surface morphology and quantitative analysis of the obtained modified cotton fabrics containing nanometal oxides were studied by scanning electron microscopy coupled with high energy dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX. The shape and distribution of nanometal oxide inside the fabric samples were analyzed by transmission electron microscopy of cross-section fabric samples. The iron oxide nanoparticles had a nanosphere with particle size diameter 15–20 nm, copper oxide nanoparticles had a nanosphere with particle size diameter 25–30 nm, and cobalt oxide nanoparticles had a nanotube-like shape with a length of 100–150 nanometer and a diameter of ~58 nanometer, whereas the manganese oxide nanoparticles had a linear structure forming nanorods with a diameter of 50–55 nanometer and a length of 70–80 nanometers. Antibacterial activity was evaluated quantitatively against gram-positive bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus and gram-negative bacteria such as Escherichia coli, UV-protection activity was analyzed using UV-DRS spectroscopy, and flame retardation of prepared fabric samples was evaluated according to the limiting oxygen index (LOI. Results revealed that the prepared fabric sample containing nanometal oxide possesses improved antibacterial, LOI, and UV-absorbing efficiency. Moreover, the metal oxide nanoparticles did not leach out the fabrics by washing even after 30 laundering washing cycles.

Dispersant Effectiveness, In-Situ Droplet Size Distribution and ...

Science.gov (United States)

This report summarizes two projects covered under an Interagency Agreement between the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in collaboration with the Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (BIO DFO), New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) and Dalhousie University. Both projects dovetail together in addressing the ability to differentiate physical from chemical dispersion effectiveness using dispersed oil simulations within a flume tank for improving forensic response monitoring tools. This report is split into separateTasks based upon the two projects funded by BSEE: 1) Dispersant Effectiveness, In-Situ Droplet Size Distribution and Numerical Modeling to Assess Subsurface Dispersant Injection as a Deepwater Blowout Oil Spill Response Option. 2) Evaluation of Oil Fluorescence Characteristics to Improve Forensic Response Tools. This report summarizes 2 collaborative projects funded through an Interagency Agreement with DOI BSEE and a Cooperative Agreement with DFO Canada. BSEE required that the projects be combined into one report as they are both covered under the one Interagency Agreement. Task B (Fluorescence of oils) is an SHC 3.62 FY16 product.

Effect of particle size on droplet infiltration into hydrophobic porous media as a model of water repellent soil.

Science.gov (United States)

Hamlett, Christopher A E; Shirtcliffe, Neil J; McHale, Glen; Ahn, Sujung; Bryant, Robert; Doerr, Stefan H; Newton, Michael I

2011-11-15

The wettability of soil is of great importance for plants and soil biota, and in determining the risk for preferential flow, surface runoff, flooding,and soil erosion. The molarity of ethanol droplet (MED) test is widely used for quantifying the severity of water repellency in soils that show reduced wettability and is assumed to be independent of soil particle size. The minimum ethanol concentration at which droplet penetration occurs within a short time (≤ 10 s) provides an estimate of the initial advancing contact angle at which spontaneous wetting is expected. In this study, we test the assumption of particle size independence using a simple model of soil, represented by layers of small (~0.2-2 mm) diameter beads that predict the effect of changing bead radius in the top layer on capillary driven imbibition. Experimental results using a three-layer bead system show broad agreement with the model and demonstrate a dependence of the MED test on particle size. The results show that the critical initial advancing contact angle for penetration can be considerably less than 90° and varies with particle size, demonstrating that a key assumption currently used in the MED testing of soil is not necessarily valid.

Prediction of water droplet evaporation on zircaloy surface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Chi Young; In, Wang Kee

2014-01-01

In the present experimental study, the prediction of water droplet evaporation on a zircaloy surface was investigated using various initial droplet sizes. To the best of our knowledge, this may be the first valuable effort for understanding the details of water droplet evaporation on a zircaloy surface. The initial contact diameters of the water droplets tested ranged from 1.76 to 3.41 mm. The behavior (i.e., time-dependent droplet volume, contact angle, droplet height, and contact diameter) and mode-transition time of the water droplet evaporation were strongly influenced by the initial droplet size. Using the normalized contact angle (θ*) and contact diameter (d*), the transitions between evaporation modes were successfully expressed by a single curve, and their criteria were proposed. To predict the temporal droplet volume change and evaporation rate, the range of θ* > 0.25 and d* > 0.9, which mostly covered the whole evaporation period and the initial contact diameter remained almost constant during evaporation, was targeted. In this range, the previous contact angle functions for the evaporation model underpredicted the experimental data. A new contact angle function of a zircaloy surface was empirically proposed, which represented the present experimental data within a reasonable degree of accuracy. (author)

Investigation on Electrostatical Breakup of Bio-Oil Droplets

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John Z. Wen

2012-10-01

Full Text Available In electrostatic atomization, the input electrical energy causes breaking up of the droplet surface by utilizing a mutual repulsion of net charges accumulating on that surface. In this work a number of key parameters controlling the bio-oil droplet breakup process are identified and these correlations among the droplet size distribution, specific charges of droplets and externally applied electrical voltages are quantified. Theoretical considerations of the bag or strip breakup mechanism of biodiesel droplets experiencing electrostatic potential are compared to experimental outcomes. The theoretical analysis suggests the droplet breakup process is governed by the Rayleigh instability condition, which reveals the effects of droplets size, specific charge, surface tension force, and droplet velocities. Experiments confirm that the average droplet diameters decrease with increasing specific charges and this decreasing tendency is non-monotonic due to the motion of satellite drops in the non-uniform electrical field. The measured specific charges are found to be smaller than the theoretical values. And the energy transformation from the electrical energy to surface energy, in addition to the energy loss, Taylor instability breakup, non-excess polarization and some system errors, accounts for this discrepancy. The electrostatic force is the dominant factor controlling the mechanism of biodiesel breakup in electrostatic atomization.

Coalescence-induced jumping of micro-droplets on heterogeneous superhydrophobic surfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Attarzadeh, Reza; Dolatabadi, Ali

2017-01-01

The phenomenon of droplets coalescence-induced self-propelled jumping on homogeneous and heterogeneous superhydrophobic surfaces was numerically modeled using the volume of fluid method coupled with a dynamic contact angle model. The heterogeneity of the surface was directly modeled as a series of micro-patterned pillars. To resolve the influence of air around a droplet and between the pillars, extensive simulations were performed for different droplet sizes on a textured surface. Parallel computations with the OpenMP algorithm were used to accelerate computation speed to meet the convergence criteria. The composition of the air-solid surface underneath the droplet facilitated capturing the transition from a no-slip/no-penetration to a partial-slip with penetration as the contact line at triple point started moving to the air pockets. The wettability effect from the nanoscopic roughness and the coating was included in the model by using the intrinsic contact angle obtained from a previously published study. As the coalescence started, the radial velocity of the coalescing liquid bridge was partially reverted to the upward direction due to the counter-action of the surface. However, we found that the velocity varied with the size of the droplets. A part of the droplet kinetic energy was dissipated as the merged droplet started penetrating into the cavities. This was due to a different area in contact between the liquid and solid and, consequently, a higher viscous dissipation rate in the system. We showed that the effect of surface roughness is strongly significant when the size of the micro-droplet is comparable with the size of the roughness features. In addition, the relevance of droplet size to surface roughness (critical relative roughness) was numerically quantified. We also found that regardless of the viscous cutoff radius, as the relative roughness approached the value of 44, the direct inclusion of surface topography was crucial in the modeling of the

Droplet activation, separation, and compositional analysis: laboratory studies and atmospheric measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Hiranuma, N.; Kohn, M.; Pekour, M. S.; Nelson, D. A.; Shilling, J. E.; Cziczo, D. J.

2011-10-01

Droplets produced in a cloud condensation nuclei chamber (CCNC) as a function of supersaturation have been separated from unactivated aerosol particles using counterflow virtual impaction. Residual material after droplets were evaporated was chemically analyzed with an Aerodyne Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (AMS) and the Particle Analysis by Laser Mass Spectrometry (PALMS) instrument. Experiments were initially conducted to verify activation conditions for monodisperse ammonium sulfate particles and to determine the resulting droplet size distribution as a function of supersaturation. Based on the observed droplet size, the counterflow virtual impactor cut-size was set to differentiate droplets from unactivated interstitial particles. Validation experiments were then performed to verify that only droplets with sufficient size passed through the counterflow virtual impactor for subsequent analysis. A two-component external mixture of monodisperse particles was also exposed to a supersaturation which would activate one of the types (hygroscopic salts) but not the other (polystyrene latex spheres or adipic acid). The mass spectrum observed after separation indicated only the former, validating separation of droplets from unactivated particles. Results from ambient measurements using this technique and AMS analysis were inconclusive, showing little chemical differentiation between ambient aerosol and activated droplet residuals, largely due to low signal levels. When employing as single particle mass spectrometer for compositional analysis, however, we observed enhancement of sulfate in droplet residuals.

Flashing liquid jets and two-phase droplet dispersion I. Experiments for derivation of droplet atomisation correlations.

Science.gov (United States)

Cleary, Vincent; Bowen, Phil; Witlox, Henk

2007-04-11

The large-scale release of a liquid contained at upstream conditions above its local atmospheric boiling point is a scenario often given consideration in process industry risk analysis. Current-hazard quantification software often employs simplistic equilibrium two-phase approaches. Scaled water experiments have been carried out measuring droplet velocity and droplet size distributions for a range of exit orifice aspect ratios (L/d) and conditions representing low to high superheat. 2D Phase-Doppler Anemometry has been utilised to characterise droplet kinematics and spray quality. Droplet size correlations have been developed for non-flashing, the transition between non-flashing and flashing, and fully flashing jets. Using high-speed shadowography, transition between regimes is defined in terms of criteria identified in the external flow structure. An overview companion paper provides a wider overview of the problem and reports implementation of these correlations into consequence models and subsequent validation. The fluid utilised throughout is water, hence droplet correlations are developed in non-dimensional form to allow extrapolation to other fluids through similarity scaling, although verification of model performance for other fluids is required in future studies. Data is reduced via non-dimensionalisation in terms of the Weber number and Jakob number, essentially representing the fluid mechanics and thermodynamics of the system, respectively. A droplet-size distribution correlation has also been developed, conveniently presented as a volume undersize distribution based on the Rosin-Rammler distribution. Separate correlations are provided for sub-cooled mechanical break-up and fully flashing jets. This form of correlation facilitates rapid estimates of likely mass rainout quantities, as well as full distribution information for more rigorous two-phase thermodynamic modelling in the future.

Optical calorimetry in microfluidic droplets.

Science.gov (United States)

Chamoun, Jacob; Pattekar, Ashish; Afshinmanesh, Farzaneh; Martini, Joerg; Recht, Michael I

2018-05-29

A novel microfluidic calorimeter that measures the enthalpy change of reactions occurring in 100 μm diameter aqueous droplets in fluoropolymer oil has been developed. The aqueous reactants flow into a microfluidic droplet generation chip in separate fluidic channels, limiting contact between the streams until immediately before they form the droplet. The diffusion-driven mixing of reactants is predominantly restricted to within the droplet. The temperature change in droplets due to the heat of reaction is measured optically by recording the reflectance spectra of encapsulated thermochromic liquid crystals (TLC) that are added to one of the reactant streams. As the droplets travel through the channel, the spectral characteristics of the TLC represent the internal temperature, allowing optical measurement with a precision of ≈6 mK. The microfluidic chip and all fluids are temperature controlled, and the reaction heat within droplets raises their temperature until thermal diffusion dissipates the heat into the surrounding oil and chip walls. Position resolved optical temperature measurement of the droplets allows calculation of the heat of reaction by analyzing the droplet temperature profile over time. Channel dimensions, droplet generation rate, droplet size, reactant stream flows and oil flow rate are carefully balanced to provide rapid diffusional mixing of reactants compared to thermal diffusion, while avoiding thermal "quenching" due to contact between the droplets and the chip walls. Compared to conventional microcalorimetry, which has been used in this work to provide reference measurements, this new continuous flow droplet calorimeter has the potential to perform titrations ≈1000-fold faster while using ≈400-fold less reactants per titration.

Droplet morphometry and velocimetry (DMV): a video processing software for time-resolved, label-free tracking of droplet parameters.

Science.gov (United States)

Basu, Amar S

2013-05-21

Emerging assays in droplet microfluidics require the measurement of parameters such as drop size, velocity, trajectory, shape deformation, fluorescence intensity, and others. While micro particle image velocimetry (μPIV) and related techniques are suitable for measuring flow using tracer particles, no tool exists for tracking droplets at the granularity of a single entity. This paper presents droplet morphometry and velocimetry (DMV), a digital video processing software for time-resolved droplet analysis. Droplets are identified through a series of image processing steps which operate on transparent, translucent, fluorescent, or opaque droplets. The steps include background image generation, background subtraction, edge detection, small object removal, morphological close and fill, and shape discrimination. A frame correlation step then links droplets spanning multiple frames via a nearest neighbor search with user-defined matching criteria. Each step can be individually tuned for maximum compatibility. For each droplet found, DMV provides a time-history of 20 different parameters, including trajectory, velocity, area, dimensions, shape deformation, orientation, nearest neighbour spacing, and pixel statistics. The data can be reported via scatter plots, histograms, and tables at the granularity of individual droplets or by statistics accrued over the population. We present several case studies from industry and academic labs, including the measurement of 1) size distributions and flow perturbations in a drop generator, 2) size distributions and mixing rates in drop splitting/merging devices, 3) efficiency of single cell encapsulation devices, 4) position tracking in electrowetting operations, 5) chemical concentrations in a serial drop dilutor, 6) drop sorting efficiency of a tensiophoresis device, 7) plug length and orientation of nonspherical plugs in a serpentine channel, and 8) high throughput tracking of >250 drops in a reinjection system. Performance metrics

Evaluation of StereoPIV Measurement of Droplet Velocity in an Effervescent Spray

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sina Ghaemi

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Particle image velocimetry (PIV is a well known technique for measuring the instantaneous velocity field of flows. However, error may be introduced when measuring the velocity field of sprays using this technique when the spray droplets are used as the seed particles. In this study, the effect of droplet number density, droplet velocity profile, and droplet size distribution of a spray produced by an effervescent atomizer on velocity measurement using a StereoPIV has been investigated. A shadowgraph-particle tracking velocimetry (S-PTV system provided measurement of droplet size and velocity for comparison. This investigation demonstrated that the StereoPIV under-estimates velocity at near-field dense spray region where measurement accuracy is limited by multi-scattering of the laser sheet. In the dilute far-field region of the spray, StereoPIV measurement is mostly in agreement with velocity of the droplet size-class which is close to the mean diameter based on droplet number frequency times droplet cross sectional area.

Experimental study of micron size droplets in a two phase flow in a converging - diverging nozzle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jurski, Kristine

1997-01-01

The fluid present in a pressurized vessel in normal operation is generally a mono-phase one. In accidental regime (a breach for example), a two-phase (ring and/or dispersed) flow appears and the flow is submitted to large accelerations when passing through the breach, and is then dispersed in the atmosphere. This research thesis reports an experimental simulation of an accident by generating, through a discharge of an upstream vessel into a downstream vessel, a strongly accelerated gaseous-liquid two-phase flow, with an essentially dispersed configuration in a convergent-divergent nozzle. In order to characterize the speed and diameter evolution of the dispersed liquid phase, the author reports a comparative study of two different liquid aerosols: micron-size droplets of di-octyl phthalate (DOP) of known concentration and diameter, and water droplets obtained by heterogeneous spontaneous condensation [fr

Tight coupling of particle size, number and composition in atmospheric cloud droplet activation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. O. Topping

2012-04-01

Full Text Available The substantial uncertainty in the indirect effect of aerosol particles on radiative forcing in large part arises from the influences of atmospheric aerosol particles on (i the brightness of clouds, exerting significant shortwave cooling with no appreciable compensation in the long wave, and on (ii their ability to precipitate, with implications for cloud cover and lifetime.

Predicting the ambient conditions at which aerosol particles may become cloud droplets is largely reliant on an equilibrium relationship derived by Köhler (1936. However, the theoretical basis of the relationship restricts its application to particles solely comprising involatile compounds and water, whereas a substantial fraction of particles in the real atmosphere will contain potentially thousands of semi-volatile organic compounds in addition to containing semi-volatile inorganic components such as ammonium nitrate.

We show that equilibration of atmospherically reasonable concentrations of organic compounds with a growing particle as the ambient humidity increases has potentially larger implications on cloud droplet formation than any other equilibrium compositional dependence, owing to inextricable linkage between the aerosol composition, a particles size and concentration under ambient conditions.

Whilst previous attempts to account for co-condensation of gases other than water vapour have been restricted to one inorganic condensate, our method demonstrates that accounting for the co-condensation of any number of organic compounds substantially decreases the saturation ratio of water vapour required for droplet activation. This effect is far greater than any other compositional dependence; more so even than the unphysical effect of surface tension reduction in aqueous organic mixtures, ignoring differences in bulk and surface surfactant concentrations.

Faraday Waves-Based Integrated Ultrasonic Micro-Droplet Generator and Applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsai, Chen S; Mao, Rong W; Tsai, Shirley C; Shahverdi, Kaveh; Zhu, Yun; Lin, Shih K; Hsu, Yu-Hsiang; Boss, Gerry; Brenner, Matt; Mahon, Sari; Smaldone, Gerald C

2017-01-01

An in-depth review on a new ultrasonic micro-droplet generator which utilizes megahertz (MHz) Faraday waves excited by silicon-based multiple Fourier horn ultrasonic nozzles (MFHUNs) and its potential applications is presented. The new droplet generator has demonstrated capability for producing micro droplets of controllable size and size distribution and desirable throughput at very low electrical drive power. For comparison, the serious deficiencies of current commercial droplet generators (nebulizers) and the other ultrasonic droplet generators explored in recent years are first discussed. The architecture, working principle, simulation, and design of the multiple Fourier horns (MFH) in resonance aimed at the amplified longitudinal vibration amplitude on the end face of nozzle tip, and the fabrication and characterization of the nozzles are then described in detail. Subsequently, a linear theory on the temporal instability of Faraday waves on a liquid layer resting on the planar end face of the MFHUN and the detailed experimental verifications are presented. The linear theory serves to elucidate the dynamics of droplet ejection from the free liquid surface and predict the vibration amplitude onset threshold for droplet ejection and the droplet diameters. A battery-run pocket-size clogging-free integrated micro droplet generator realized using the MFHUN is then described. The subsequent report on the successful nebulization of a variety of commercial pulmonary medicines against common diseases and on the experimental antidote solutions to cyanide poisoning using the new droplet generator serves to support its imminent application to inhalation drug delivery.

Laser-induced superhydrophobic grid patterns on PDMS for droplet arrays formation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Farshchian, Bahador [Ingram School of Engineering, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX 78666 (United States); Gatabi, Javad R. [Materials Science, Engineering and Commercialization, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX 78666 (United States); Bernick, Steven M.; Park, Sooyeon [Ingram School of Engineering, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX 78666 (United States); Lee, Gwan-Hyoung [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722 (Korea, Republic of); Droopad, Ravindranath [Ingram School of Engineering, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX 78666 (United States); Materials Science, Engineering and Commercialization, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX 78666 (United States); Kim, Namwon, E-mail: n_k43@txstate.edu [Ingram School of Engineering, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX 78666 (United States)

2017-02-28

Highlights: • Superhydrophobic grid patterns were processed on the surface of PDMS using a pulsed nanosecond laser. • Droplet arrays form instantly on the laser-patterned PDMS with the superhydrophobic grid pattern when the PDMS sample is simply immersed in and withdrawn from water. • Droplet size can be controlled by controlling the pitch size of superhydrophobic grid and the withdrawal speed. - Abstract: We demonstrate a facile single step laser treatment process to render a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) surface superhydrophobic. By synchronizing a pulsed nanosecond laser source with a motorized stage, superhydrophobic grid patterns were written on the surface of PDMS. Hierarchical micro and nanostructures were formed in the irradiated areas while non-irradiated areas were covered by nanostructures due to deposition of ablated particles. Arrays of droplets form spontaneously on the laser-patterned PDMS with superhydrophobic grid pattern when the PDMS sample is simply immersed in and withdrawn from water due to different wetting properties of the irradiated and non-irradiated areas. The effects of withdrawal speed and pitch size of superhydrophobic grid on the size of formed droplets were investigated experimentally. The droplet size increases initially with increasing the withdrawal speed and then does not change significantly beyond certain points. Moreover, larger droplets are formed by increasing the pitch size of the superhydrophobic grid. The droplet arrays formed on the laser-patterned PDMS with wettability contrast can be used potentially for patterning of particles, chemicals, and bio-molecules and also for cell screening applications.

TRAJECTORY AND INCINERATION OF ROGUE DROPLETS IN A TURBULENT DIFFUSION FLAME

Science.gov (United States)

The trajectory and incineration efficiency of individual droplet streams of a fuel mixture injected into a swirling gas turbulent diffusion flame were measured as a function of droplet size, droplet velocity, interdroplet spacing, and droplet injection angle. Additional experimen...

Photoacoustic measurements of photokinetics in single optically trapped aerosol droplets

Science.gov (United States)

Covert, Paul; Cremer, Johannes; Signorell, Ruth; Thaler, Klemens; Haisch, Christoph

2017-04-01

It is well established that interaction of light with atmospheric aerosols has a large impact on the Earth's climate. However, uncertainties in the magnitude of this impact remain large, due in part to broad distributions of aerosol size, composition, and chemical reactivity. In this context, photoacoustic spectroscopy is commonly used to measure light absorption by aerosols. Here, we present photoacoustic measurements of single, optically-trapped nanodroplets to reveal droplet size-depencies of photochemical and physical processes. Theoretical considerations have pointed to a size-dependence in the magnitude and phase of the photoacoustic response from aerosol droplets. This dependence is thought to originate from heat transfer processes that are slow compared to the acoustic excitation frequency. In the case of a model aerosol, our measurements of single particle absorption cross-section versus droplet size confirm these theoretical predictions. In a related study, using the same model aerosol, we also demonstrate a droplet size-dependence of photochemical reaction rates [1]. Within sub-micron sized particles, photolysis rates were observed to be an order of magnitude greater than those observed in larger droplets. [1] J. W. Cremer, K. M. Thaler, C. Haisch, and R. Signorell. Photoacoustics of single laser-trapped nanodroplets for the direct observation of nanofocusing in aerosol photokinetics. Nat. Commun., 7:10941, 2016.

A new kind of droplet space distribution measuring method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ma Chao; Bo Hanliang

2012-01-01

A new kind of droplet space distribution measuring technique was introduced mainly, and the experimental device which was designed for the measuring the space distribution and traces of the flying film droplet produced by the bubble breaking up near the free surface of the water. This experiment was designed with a kind of water-sensitivity test paper (rice paper) which could record the position and size of the colored scattering droplets precisely. The rice papers were rolled into cylinders with different diameters by using tools. The bubbles broke up exactly in the center of the cylinder, and the space distribution and the traces of the droplets would be received by analysing all the positions of the droplets produced by the same size bubble on the rice papers. (authors)

Comparison between sprinkler irrigation and natural rainfall based on droplet diameter

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ge, M.S.; Wu, P.; Zhu, D.; Ames, D.P.

2016-11-01

An indoor experiment was conducted to analyze the movement characteristics of different sized droplets and their influence on water application rate distribution and kinetic energy distribution. Radial droplets emitted from a Nelson D3000 sprinkler nozzle under 66.3, 84.8, and 103.3 kPa were measured in terms of droplet velocity, landing angle, and droplet kinetic energy and results were compared to natural rainfall characteristics. Results indicate that sprinkler irrigation droplet landing velocity for all sizes of droplets is not related to nozzle pressure and the values of landing velocity are very close to that of natural rainfall. The velocity horizontal component increases with radial distance while the velocity vertical component decreases with radial distance. Additionally, landing angle of all droplet sizes decreases with radial distance. The kinetic energy is decomposed into vertical component and horizontal component due to the oblique angles of droplet impact on the surface soil, and this may aggravate soil erosion. Therefore the actual oblique angle of impact should be considered in actual field conditions and measures should be taken for remediation of soil erosion if necessary. (Author)

Size-dependent elastic/inelastic behavior of enamel over millimeter and nanometer length scales.

Science.gov (United States)

Ang, Siang Fung; Bortel, Emely L; Swain, Michael V; Klocke, Arndt; Schneider, Gerold A

2010-03-01

The microstructure of enamel like most biological tissues has a hierarchical structure which determines their mechanical behavior. However, current studies of the mechanical behavior of enamel lack a systematic investigation of these hierarchical length scales. In this study, we performed macroscopic uni-axial compression tests and the spherical indentation with different indenter radii to probe enamel's elastic/inelastic transition over four hierarchical length scales, namely: 'bulk enamel' (mm), 'multiple-rod' (10's microm), 'intra-rod' (100's nm with multiple crystallites) and finally 'single-crystallite' (10's nm with an area of approximately one hydroxyapatite crystallite). The enamel's elastic/inelastic transitions were observed at 0.4-17 GPa depending on the length scale and were compared with the values of synthetic hydroxyapatite crystallites. The elastic limit of a material is important as it provides insights into the deformability of the material before fracture. At the smallest investigated length scale (contact radius approximately 20 nm), elastic limit is followed by plastic deformation. At the largest investigated length scale (contact size approximately 2 mm), only elastic then micro-crack induced response was observed. A map of elastic/inelastic regions of enamel from millimeter to nanometer length scale is presented. Possible underlying mechanisms are also discussed. (c) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Significant enhancement of magnetoresistance with the reduction of particle size in nanometer scale

Science.gov (United States)

Das, Kalipada; Dasgupta, P.; Poddar, A.; Das, I.

2016-01-01

The Physics of materials with large magnetoresistance (MR), defined as the percentage change of electrical resistance with the application of external magnetic field, has been an active field of research for quite some times. In addition to the fundamental interest, large MR has widespread application that includes the field of magnetic field sensor technology. New materials with large MR is interesting. However it is more appealing to vast scientific community if a method describe to achieve many fold enhancement of MR of already known materials. Our study on several manganite samples [La1−xCaxMnO3 (x = 0.52, 0.54, 0.55)] illustrates the method of significant enhancement of MR with the reduction of the particle size in nanometer scale. Our experimentally observed results are explained by considering model consisted of a charge ordered antiferromagnetic core and a shell having short range ferromagnetic correlation between the uncompensated surface spins in nanoscale regime. The ferromagnetic fractions obtained theoretically in the nanoparticles has been shown to be in the good agreement with the experimental results. The method of several orders of magnitude improvement of the magnetoresistive property will have enormous potential for magnetic field sensor technology. PMID:26837285

Faraday Waves-Based Integrated Ultrasonic Micro-Droplet Generator and Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chen S. Tsai

2017-02-01

Full Text Available An in-depth review on a new ultrasonic micro-droplet generator which utilizes megahertz (MHz Faraday waves excited by silicon-based multiple Fourier horn ultrasonic nozzles (MFHUNs and its potential applications is presented. The new droplet generator has demonstrated capability for producing micro droplets of controllable size and size distribution and desirable throughput at very low electrical drive power. For comparison, the serious deficiencies of current commercial droplet generators (nebulizers and the other ultrasonic droplet generators explored in recent years are first discussed. The architecture, working principle, simulation, and design of the multiple Fourier horns (MFH in resonance aimed at the amplified longitudinal vibration amplitude on the end face of nozzle tip, and the fabrication and characterization of the nozzles are then described in detail. Subsequently, a linear theory on the temporal instability of Faraday waves on a liquid layer resting on the planar end face of the MFHUN and the detailed experimental verifications are presented. The linear theory serves to elucidate the dynamics of droplet ejection from the free liquid surface and predict the vibration amplitude onset threshold for droplet ejection and the droplet diameters. A battery-run pocket-size clogging-free integrated micro droplet generator realized using the MFHUN is then described. The subsequent report on the successful nebulization of a variety of commercial pulmonary medicines against common diseases and on the experimental antidote solutions to cyanide poisoning using the new droplet generator serves to support its imminent application to inhalation drug delivery.

In situ deposition of poly(1,8-diaminonaphthalene): from thin films to nanometer-sized structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tagowska, Magdalena; PaIys, Barbara; Mazur, Maciej; Skompska, Magdalena; Jackowska, Krystyna

2005-01-01

Chemical in situ deposition of poly(1,8-diaminonaphthalene) (p(1,8-DAN)) on conductive supports in aqueous and acetonitrile solutions was investigated using electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM) and UV-vis spectroscopy. The resulting deposits were examined by the means of cyclic voltammetry (CV), FT-IR and Raman spectroscopy. P(1,8-DAN) was also deposited via chemical polymerization onto a porous polycarbonate membrane (PC) which served as a template for synthesis of nanometer-sized structures. The deposits of p(1,8-DAN) on PC substrate were imaged by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and the nanostructures obtained by dissolution of the template were visualized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The EQCM and UV-vis studies indicated that the polymer is formed both on the surface of the substrate and in the bulk of the polymerization solution. However, polymerization of 1,8-DAN in solution is delayed in comparison with deposition on the substrate. Electrochemical and spectroscopic properties of p(1,8-DAN) formed chemically closely resemble the properties of the electrosynthesized polymer. Furthermore, SEM images of p(1,8-DAN) nanostructures revealed that the polymer nanowires are formed in aqueous solutions, whereas two types of structures: nanowires and round shaped structures, not fitting to the pore size, can be obtained by chemical polymerization in the acetonitrile medium

Fluorescent gel particles in the nanometer range for detection of metabolites in living cells

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Almdal, K.; Sun, H.; Poulsen, A.K.

2006-01-01

micelles in oil microemulsions. Typical sizes of the particles are tens of nanometers. Characterization methods for such particles based on size exclusion chromatography, photon correlation spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy have been developed. The stability...

Theoretical analysis for the optical deformation of emulsion droplets.

Science.gov (United States)

Tapp, David; Taylor, Jonathan M; Lubansky, Alex S; Bain, Colin D; Chakrabarti, Buddhapriya

2014-02-24

We propose a theoretical framework to predict the three-dimensional shapes of optically deformed micron-sized emulsion droplets with ultra-low interfacial tension. The resulting shape and size of the droplet arises out of a balance between the interfacial tension and optical forces. Using an approximation of the laser field as a Gaussian beam, working within the Rayleigh-Gans regime and assuming isotropic surface energy at the oil-water interface, we numerically solve the resulting shape equations to elucidate the three-dimensional droplet geometry. We obtain a plethora of shapes as a function of the number of optical tweezers, their laser powers and positions, surface tension, initial droplet size and geometry. Experimentally, two-dimensional droplet silhouettes have been imaged from above, but their full side-on view has not been observed and reported for current optical configurations. This experimental limitation points to ambiguity in differentiating between droplets having the same two-dimensional projection but with disparate three-dimensional shapes. Our model elucidates and quantifies this difference for the first time. We also provide a dimensionless number that indicates the shape transformation (ellipsoidal to dumbbell) at a value ≈ 1.0, obtained by balancing interfacial tension and laser forces, substantiated using a data collapse.

Velocity and rotation measurements in acoustically levitated droplets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Saha, Abhishek [University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816 (United States); Basu, Saptarshi [Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012 (India); Kumar, Ranganathan, E-mail: ranganathan.kumar@ucf.edu [University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816 (United States)

2012-10-01

The velocity scale inside an acoustically levitated droplet depends on the levitator and liquid properties. Using Particle Imaging Velocimetry (PIV), detailed velocity measurements have been made in a levitated droplet of different diameters and viscosity. The maximum velocity and rotation are normalized using frequency and amplitude of acoustic levitator, and droplet viscosity. The non-dimensional data are fitted for micrometer- and millimeter-sized droplets levitated in different levitators for different viscosity fluids. It is also shown that the rotational speed of nanosilica droplets at an advanced stage of vaporization compares well with that predicted by exponentially fitted parameters. -- Highlights: ► Demonstrates the importance of rotation in a levitated droplet that leads to controlled morphology. ► Provides detailed measurements of Particle Image Velocimetry inside levitated droplets. ► Shows variation of vortex strength with the droplet diameter and viscosity of the liquid.

Velocity and rotation measurements in acoustically levitated droplets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saha, Abhishek; Basu, Saptarshi; Kumar, Ranganathan

2012-01-01

The velocity scale inside an acoustically levitated droplet depends on the levitator and liquid properties. Using Particle Imaging Velocimetry (PIV), detailed velocity measurements have been made in a levitated droplet of different diameters and viscosity. The maximum velocity and rotation are normalized using frequency and amplitude of acoustic levitator, and droplet viscosity. The non-dimensional data are fitted for micrometer- and millimeter-sized droplets levitated in different levitators for different viscosity fluids. It is also shown that the rotational speed of nanosilica droplets at an advanced stage of vaporization compares well with that predicted by exponentially fitted parameters. -- Highlights: ► Demonstrates the importance of rotation in a levitated droplet that leads to controlled morphology. ► Provides detailed measurements of Particle Image Velocimetry inside levitated droplets. ► Shows variation of vortex strength with the droplet diameter and viscosity of the liquid.

Study of droplet entrainment from bubbling surface in a bubble column

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramirez de Santiago, M.

1991-05-01

In a bubble column droplets are ejected from the free surface by bubble bursting or splashing. Depending on their size, the droplets are partly carried away by the streaming gas or fall back to the bubbling surface by gravity force. Experiments have been carried out to determine the void fraction in the column by means of an optical probe. In the interfacial zone the bubble bursting process was captured with a high-speed video camera. Simultaneous measurements were made of size and velocity of droplets at several distances from the bubbling surface with a Phase-Doppler Anemometry. The bubble column can be divided into three regions: A lower zone with a flat profile of the local void fraction, a central zone where the flow regime is steady and an upper zone where the local void fraction grows rapidly. A two-parameter log-normal distribution function was proposed in order to describe the polydisperse distribution of droplet-size. Results were obtained concerning the entrainment, concentration, volume fraction and interfacial area of droplets. Finally, it was found that the turbulence intensity affects the droplet terminal velocity for droplets smaller than the Kolmogorov microscale [fr

Modeling of finite-size droplets and particles in multiphase flows

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Prashant Khare

2015-08-01

Full Text Available The conventional point-particle approach for treating the dispersed phase in a continuous flowfield is extended by taking into account the effect of finite particle size, using a Gaussian interpolation from Lagrangian points to the Eulerian field. The inter-phase exchange terms in the conservation equations are distributed over the volume encompassing the particle size, as opposed to the Dirac delta function generally used in the point-particle approach. The proposed approach is benchmarked against three different flow configurations in a numerical framework based on large eddy simulation (LES turbulence closure. First, the flow over a circular cylinder is simulated for a Reynolds number of 3900 at 1 atm pressure. Results show good agreement with experimental data for the mean streamwise velocity and the vortex shedding frequency in the wake region. The calculated flowfield exhibits correct physics, which the conventional point-particle approach fails to capture. The second case deals with diesel jet injection in quiescent environment over a pressure range of 1.1–5.0 MPa. The calculated jet penetration depth closely matches measurements. It decreases with increasing chamber pressure, due to enhanced drag force in a denser fluid environment. Finally, water and acetone jet injection normal to air crossflow is studied at 1 atm. The calculated jet penetration and Sauter mean diameter of liquid droplets compare very well with measurements.

Generating high-quality single droplets for optical particle characterization with an easy setup

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Jie; Ge, Baozhen; Meng, Rui

2018-06-01

The high-performance and micro-sized single droplet is significant for optical particle characterization. We develop a single-droplet generator (SDG) based on a piezoelectric inkjet technique with advantages of low cost and easy setup. By optimizing the pulse parameters, we achieve various size single droplets. Further investigations reveal that SDG generates single droplets of high quality, demonstrating good sphericity, monodispersity and a stable length of several millimeters.

GaAs droplet quantum dots with nanometer-thin capping layer for plasmonic applications

Science.gov (United States)

In Park, Suk; Trojak, Oliver Joe; Lee, Eunhye; Song, Jin Dong; Kyhm, Jihoon; Han, Ilki; Kim, Jongsu; Yi, Gyu-Chul; Sapienza, Luca

2018-05-01

We report on the growth and optical characterization of droplet GaAs quantum dots (QDs) with extremely-thin (11 nm) capping layers. To achieve such result, an internal thermal heating step is introduced during the growth and its role in the morphological properties of the QDs obtained is investigated via scanning electron and atomic force microscopy. Photoluminescence measurements at cryogenic temperatures show optically stable, sharp and bright emission from single QDs, at visible wavelengths. Given the quality of their optical properties and the proximity to the surface, such emitters are good candidates for the investigation of near field effects, like the coupling to plasmonic modes, in order to strongly control the directionality of the emission and/or the spontaneous emission rate, crucial parameters for quantum photonic applications.

The SERS and TERS effects obtained by gold droplets on top of Si nanowires.

Science.gov (United States)

Becker, M; Sivakov, V; Andrä, G; Geiger, R; Schreiber, J; Hoffmann, S; Michler, J; Milenin, A P; Werner, P; Christiansen, S H

2007-01-01

We show that hemispherical gold droplets on top of silicon nanowires when grown by the vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) mechanism, can produce a significant enhancement of Raman scattered signals. Signal enhancement for a few or even just single gold droplets is demonstrated by analyzing the enhanced Raman signature of malachite green molecules. For this experiment, trenches (approximately 800 nm wide) were etched in a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafer along crystallographic directions that constitute sidewalls ({110} surfaces) suitable for the growth of silicon nanowires in directions with the intention that the gold droplets on the silicon nanowires can meet somewhere in the trench when growth time is carefully selected. Another way to realize gold nanostructures in close vicinity is to attach a silicon nanowire with a gold droplet onto an atomic force microscopy (AFM) tip and to bring this tip toward another gold-coated AFM tip where malachite green molecules were deposited prior to the measurements. In both experiments, signal enhancement of characteristic Raman bands of malachite green molecules was observed. This indicates that silicon nanowires with gold droplets atop can act as efficient probes for tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS). In our article, we show that a nanowire TERS probe can be fabricated by welding nanowires with gold droplets to AFM tips in a scanning electron microscope (SEM). TERS tips made from nanowires could improve the spatial resolution of Raman spectroscopy so that measurements on the nanometer scale are possible.

Electrohydrodynamic coalescence of droplets using an embedded potential flow model

Science.gov (United States)

Garzon, M.; Gray, L. J.; Sethian, J. A.

2018-03-01

The coalescence, and subsequent satellite formation, of two inviscid droplets is studied numerically. The initial drops are taken to be of equal and different sizes, and simulations have been carried out with and without the presence of an electrical field. The main computational challenge is the tracking of a free surface that changes topology. Coupling level set and boundary integral methods with an embedded potential flow model, we seamlessly compute through these singular events. As a consequence, the various coalescence modes that appear depending upon the relative ratio of the parent droplets can be studied. Computations of first stage pinch-off, second stage pinch-off, and complete engulfment are analyzed and compared to recent numerical studies and laboratory experiments. Specifically, we study the evolution of bridge radii and the related scaling laws, the minimum drop radii evolution from coalescence to satellite pinch-off, satellite sizes, and the upward stretching of the near cylindrical protrusion at the droplet top. Clear evidence of partial coalescence self-similarity is presented for parent droplet ratios between 1.66 and 4. This has been possible due to the fact that computational initial conditions only depend upon the mother droplet size, in contrast with laboratory experiments where the difficulty in establishing the same initial physical configuration is well known. The presence of electric forces changes the coalescence patterns, and it is possible to control the satellite droplet size by tuning the electrical field intensity. All of the numerical results are in very good agreement with recent laboratory experiments for water droplet coalescence.

Experimental test of liquid droplet radiator performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mattick, A.T.; Simon, M.A.

1986-01-01

This liquid droplet radiator (LDR) is evolving rapidly as a lightweight system for heat rejection in space power systems. By using recirculating free streams of submillimeter droplets to radiate waste energy directly to space, the LDR can potentially be an order of magnitude lighter than conventional radiator systems which radiate from solid surfaces. The LDR is also less vulnerable to micrometeoroid damage than are conventional radiators, and it has a low transport volume. Three major development issues of this new heat rejection system are the ability to direct the droplet streams with sufficient precision to avoid fluid loss, radiative performance of the array of droplet streams which comprise the radiating elements of the LDR, and the efficacy of the droplet stream collector, again with respect to fluid loss. This paper reports experimental results bearing on the first two issues - droplet aiming in a multikilowatt-sized system, and radiated power from a large droplet array. Parallel efforts on droplet collection and LDR system design are being pursued by several research groups

Droplet size and velocity at the exit of a nozzle with two-component near critical and critical flow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lemonnier, H.; Camelo-Cavalcanti, E.S.

1993-01-01

Two-component critical flow modelling is an important issue for safety studies of various hazardous industrial activities. When the flow quality is high, the critical flow rate prediction is sensitive to the modelling of gas droplet mixture interfacial area. In order to improve the description of these flows, experiments were conducted with air-water flows in converging nozzles. The pressure was 2 and 4 bar and the gas mass quality ranged between 100% and 20%. The droplets size and velocity have been measured close to the outlet section of a nozzle with a 10 mm diameter throat. Subcritical and critical conditions were observed. These data are compared with the predictions of a critical flow model which includes an interfacial area model based on the classical ideas of Hinze and Kolmogorov. (authors). 9 figs., 12 refs

Two-fluid model with droplet size distribution for condensing steam flows

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wróblewski, Włodzimierz; Dykas, Sławomir

2016-01-01

The process of energy conversion in the low pressure part of steam turbines may be improved using new and more accurate numerical models. The paper presents a description of a model intended for the condensing steam flow modelling. The model uses a standard condensation model. A physical and a numerical model of the mono- and polydispersed wet-steam flow are presented. The proposed two-fluid model solves separate flow governing equations for the compressible, inviscid vapour and liquid phase. The method of moments with a prescribed function is used for the reconstruction of the water droplet size distribution. The described model is presented for the liquid phase evolution in the flow through the de Laval nozzle. - Highlights: • Computational Fluid Dynamics. • Steam condensation in transonic flows through the Laval nozzles. • In-house CFD code – two-phase flow, two-fluid monodispersed and polydispersed model.

Annealing temperature effect on self-assembled Au droplets on Si (111).

Science.gov (United States)

Sui, Mao; Li, Ming-Yu; Kim, Eun-Soo; Lee, Jihoon

2013-12-13

We investigate the effect of annealing temperature on self-assembled Au droplets on Si (111). The annealing temperature is systematically varied while fixing other growth parameters such as deposition amount and annealing duration clearly to observe the annealing temperature effect. Self-assembled Au droplets are fabricated by annealing from 50°C to 850°C with 2-nm Au deposition for 30 s. With increased annealing temperatures, Au droplets show gradually increased height and diameter while the density of droplets progressively decreases. Self-assembled Au droplets with fine uniformity can be fabricated between 550°C and 800°C. While Au droplets become much larger with increased deposition amount, the extended annealing duration only mildly affects droplet size and density. The results are systematically analyzed with cross-sectional line profiles, Fourier filter transform power spectra, height histogram, surface area ratio, and size and density plots. This study can provide an aid point for the fabrication of nanowires on Si (111).

Composition measurements of binary mixture droplets by rainbow refractometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilms, J; Weigand, B

2007-04-10

So far, refractive index measurements by rainbow refractometry have been used to determine the temperature of single droplets and ensembles of droplets. Rainbow refractometry is, for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, applied to measure composition histories of evaporating, binary mixture droplets. An evaluation method is presented that makes use of Airy theory and the simultaneous size measurement by Mie scattering imaging. The method further includes an empirical correction function for a certain diameter and refractive index range. The measurement uncertainty was investigated by numerical simulations with Lorenz-Mie theory. For the experiments, an optical levitation setup was used allowing for long measurement periods. Temperature measurements of single-component droplets at different temperature levels are shown to demonstrate the accuracy of rainbow refractometry. Measurements of size and composition histories of binary mixture droplets are presented for two different mixtures. Experimental results show good agreement with numerical results using a rapid-mixing model.

Composition measurements of binary mixture droplets by rainbow refractometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wilms, J.; Weigand, B.

2007-01-01

So far, refractive index measurements by rainbow refractometry have been used to determine the temperature of single droplets and ensembles of droplets. Rainbow refractometry is, for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, applied to measure composition histories of evaporating, binary mixture droplets. An evaluation method is presented that makes use of Airy theory and the simultaneous size measurement by Mie scattering imaging. The method further includes an empirical correction function for a certain diameter and refractive index range. The measurement uncertainty was investigated by numerical simulations with Lorenz-Mie theory. For the experiments, an optical levitation setup was used allowing for long measurement periods. Temperature measurements of single-component droplets at different temperature levels are shown to demonstrate the accuracy of rainbow refractometry. Measurements of size and composition histories of binary mixture droplets are presented for two different mixtures. Experimental results show good agreement with numerical results using a rapid-mixing model

A compact and facile microfluidic droplet creation device using a piezoelectric diaphragm micropump for droplet digital PCR platforms.

Science.gov (United States)

Okura, Naoaki; Nakashoji, Yuta; Koshirogane, Toshihiro; Kondo, Masaki; Tanaka, Yugo; Inoue, Kohei; Hashimoto, Masahiko

2017-10-01

We have exploited a compact and facile microfluidic droplet creation device consisting of a poly(dimethylsiloxane) microfluidic chip possessing T-junction channel geometry, two inlet reservoirs, and one outlet reservoir, and a piezoelectric (PZT) diaphragm micropump with controller. Air was evacuated from the outlet reservoir using the PZT pump, reducing the pressure inside. The reduced pressure within the outlet reservoir pulled oil and aqueous solution preloaded in the inlet reservoirs into the microchannels, which then merged at the T-junction, successfully forming water-in-oil emulsion droplets at a rate of ∼1000 per second with minimal sample loss. We confirmed that the onset of droplet formation occurred immediately after turning on the pump (<1 s). Over repeated runs, droplet formation was highly reproducible, with droplet size purity (polydispersity, <4%) comparable to that achieved using other microfluidic droplet preparation techniques. We also demonstrated single-molecule PCR amplification in the created droplets, suggesting that the device could be used for effective droplet digital PCR platforms in most laboratories without requiring great expense, space, or time for acquiring technical skills. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Cough aerosol in healthy participants: fundamental knowledge to optimize droplet-spread infectious respiratory disease management.

Science.gov (United States)

Zayas, Gustavo; Chiang, Ming C; Wong, Eric; MacDonald, Fred; Lange, Carlos F; Senthilselvan, Ambikaipakan; King, Malcolm

2012-03-21

The Influenza A H1N1 virus can be transmitted via direct, indirect, and airborne route to non-infected subjects when an infected patient coughs, which expels a number of different sized droplets to the surrounding environment as an aerosol. The objective of the current study was to characterize the human cough aerosol pattern with the aim of developing a standard human cough bioaerosol model for Influenza Pandemic control. 45 healthy non-smokers participated in the open bench study by giving their best effort cough. A laser diffraction system was used to obtain accurate, time-dependent, quantitative measurements of the size and number of droplets expelled by the cough aerosol. Voluntary coughs generated droplets ranging from 0.1 - 900 microns in size. Droplets of less than one-micron size represent 97% of the total number of measured droplets contained in the cough aerosol. Age, sex, weight, height and corporal mass have no statistically significant effect on the aerosol composition in terms of size and number of droplets. We have developed a standard human cough aerosol model. We have quantitatively characterized the pattern, size, and number of droplets present in the most important mode of person-to-person transmission of IRD: the cough bioaerosol. Small size droplets (< 1 μm) predominated the total number of droplets expelled when coughing. The cough aerosol is the single source of direct, indirect and/or airborne transmission of respiratory infections like the Influenza A H1N1 virus. Open bench, Observational, Cough, Aerosol study. © 2012 Zayas et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Evaluation of evaporation coefficient for micro-droplets exposed to low pressure: A semi-analytical approach

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chakraborty, Prodyut R., E-mail: pchakraborty@iitj.ac.in [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur, 342011 (India); Hiremath, Kirankumar R., E-mail: k.r.hiremath@iitj.ac.in [Department of Mathematics, Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur, 342011 (India); Sharma, Manvendra, E-mail: PG201283003@iitj.ac.in [Defence Laboratory Jodhpur, Defence Research & Development Organisation, 342011 (India)

2017-02-05

Evaporation rate of water is strongly influenced by energy barrier due to molecular collision and heat transfer limitations. The evaporation coefficient, defined as the ratio of experimentally measured evaporation rate to that maximum possible theoretical limit, varies over a conflicting three orders of magnitude. In the present work, a semi-analytical transient heat diffusion model of droplet evaporation is developed considering the effect of change in droplet size due to evaporation from its surface, when the droplet is injected into vacuum. Negligible effect of droplet size reduction due to evaporation on cooling rate is found to be true. However, the evaporation coefficient is found to approach theoretical limit of unity, when the droplet radius is less than that of mean free path of vapor molecules on droplet surface contrary to the reported theoretical predictions. Evaporation coefficient was found to reduce rapidly when the droplet under consideration has a radius larger than the mean free path of evaporating molecules, confirming the molecular collision barrier to evaporation rate. The trend of change in evaporation coefficient with increasing droplet size predicted by the proposed model will facilitate obtaining functional relation of evaporation coefficient with droplet size, and can be used for benchmarking the interaction between multiple droplets during evaporation in vacuum.

Evaluation of evaporation coefficient for micro-droplets exposed to low pressure: A semi-analytical approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chakraborty, Prodyut R.; Hiremath, Kirankumar R.; Sharma, Manvendra

2017-01-01

Evaporation rate of water is strongly influenced by energy barrier due to molecular collision and heat transfer limitations. The evaporation coefficient, defined as the ratio of experimentally measured evaporation rate to that maximum possible theoretical limit, varies over a conflicting three orders of magnitude. In the present work, a semi-analytical transient heat diffusion model of droplet evaporation is developed considering the effect of change in droplet size due to evaporation from its surface, when the droplet is injected into vacuum. Negligible effect of droplet size reduction due to evaporation on cooling rate is found to be true. However, the evaporation coefficient is found to approach theoretical limit of unity, when the droplet radius is less than that of mean free path of vapor molecules on droplet surface contrary to the reported theoretical predictions. Evaporation coefficient was found to reduce rapidly when the droplet under consideration has a radius larger than the mean free path of evaporating molecules, confirming the molecular collision barrier to evaporation rate. The trend of change in evaporation coefficient with increasing droplet size predicted by the proposed model will facilitate obtaining functional relation of evaporation coefficient with droplet size, and can be used for benchmarking the interaction between multiple droplets during evaporation in vacuum.

An operational calculus framework to characterize droplet size populations from turbulent breakup by a small number of parameters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vazquez, Rafael; Ganan-Calvo, Alfonso M

2010-01-01

A systematic operational calculus framework that characterizes droplet/bubble size distributions resulting from turbulent breakup of an immiscible fluid into a carrier one is presented. The proposed formulation is derived from dynamical arguments; a finite-difference formulation of the integro-differential continuous coagulation and fragmentation equation is shown to exhibit the same structure as a discrete sequence of Mellin convolutions between the probability distribution of the evolving dispersed phase and a generic kernel. This kernel may have its physical correspondence with the probability distribution resulting from a single breakup event, e.g. a liquid ligament breakup in a ligament-mediated spray formation. The number of convolution steps in the sequence can be reduced to a single parameter. As an illustration, this procedure is applied to the exponential and the gamma distributions, obtaining as a result the Frechet distribution earlier used by Rosin and Rammler (1934 Kolloid-Zeitschrift 67 16-26), and by Nukiyama and Tanasawa (1939 Trans. Soc. Mech. Eng. Japan 5 62-7). Thus, the framework introduced in this work provides a physical foundation for the success of the Frechet distribution in accurately fitting experimentally measured droplet size distributions in sprays and emulsions.

An operational calculus framework to characterize droplet size populations from turbulent breakup by a small number of parameters

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vazquez, Rafael; Ganan-Calvo, Alfonso M, E-mail: amgc@us.e [Departamento de IngenierIa Aeroespacial y Mecanica de Fluidos, Universidad de Sevilla, e-41092 Sevilla (Spain)

2010-05-07

A systematic operational calculus framework that characterizes droplet/bubble size distributions resulting from turbulent breakup of an immiscible fluid into a carrier one is presented. The proposed formulation is derived from dynamical arguments; a finite-difference formulation of the integro-differential continuous coagulation and fragmentation equation is shown to exhibit the same structure as a discrete sequence of Mellin convolutions between the probability distribution of the evolving dispersed phase and a generic kernel. This kernel may have its physical correspondence with the probability distribution resulting from a single breakup event, e.g. a liquid ligament breakup in a ligament-mediated spray formation. The number of convolution steps in the sequence can be reduced to a single parameter. As an illustration, this procedure is applied to the exponential and the gamma distributions, obtaining as a result the Frechet distribution earlier used by Rosin and Rammler (1934 Kolloid-Zeitschrift 67 16-26), and by Nukiyama and Tanasawa (1939 Trans. Soc. Mech. Eng. Japan 5 62-7). Thus, the framework introduced in this work provides a physical foundation for the success of the Frechet distribution in accurately fitting experimentally measured droplet size distributions in sprays and emulsions.

Study of droplet flow in a T-shape microchannel with bottom wall fluctuation

Science.gov (United States)

Pang, Yan; Wang, Xiang; Liu, Zhaomiao

2018-03-01

Droplet generation in a T-shape microchannel, with a main channel width of 50 μm , side channel width of 25 μm, and height of 50 μm, is simulated to study the effects of the forced fluctuation of the bottom wall. The periodic fluctuations of the bottom wall are applied on the near junction part of the main channel in the T-shape microchannel. Effects of bottom wall's shape, fluctuation periods, and amplitudes on the droplet generation are covered in the research of this protocol. In the simulation, the average size is affected a little by the fluctuations, but significantly by the fixed shape of the deformed bottom wall, while the droplet size range is expanded by the fluctuations under most of the conditions. Droplet sizes are distributed in a periodic pattern with small amplitude along the relative time when the fluctuation is forced on the bottom wall near the T-junction, while the droplet emerging frequency is not varied by the fluctuation. The droplet velocity is varied by the bottom wall motion, especially under the shorter period and the larger amplitude. When the fluctuation period is similar to the droplet emerging period, the droplet size is as stable as the non-fluctuation case after a development stage at the beginning of flow, while the droplet velocity is varied by the moving wall with the scope up to 80% of the average velocity under the conditions of this investigation.

Redistribution of charged aluminum nanoparticles on oil droplets in water in response to applied electrical field

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Mengqi; Li, Dongqing, E-mail: dongqing@mme.uwaterloo.ca [University of Waterloo, Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering (Canada)

2016-05-15

Janus droplets with two opposite faces of different physical or chemical properties have great potentials in many fields. This paper reports a new method for making Janus droplets by covering one side of the droplet with charged nanoparticles in an externally applied DC electric field. In this paper, aluminum oxide nanoparticles on micro-sized and macro-sized oil droplets were studied. In order to control the surface area covered by the nanoparticles on the oil droplets, the effects of the concentration of nanoparticle suspension, the droplet size as well as the strength of electric field on the final accumulation area of the nanoparticles are studied.Graphical abstract.

Shrinking droplets in electrospray ionization and their influence on chemical equilibria.

Science.gov (United States)

Wortmann, Arno; Kistler-Momotova, Anna; Zenobi, Renato; Heine, Martin C; Wilhelm, Oliver; Pratsinis, Sotiris E

2007-03-01

We investigated how chemical equilibria are affected by the electrospray process, using simultaneous in situ measurements by laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) and phase Doppler anemometry (PDA). The motivation for this study was the increasing number of publications in which electrospray ionization mass spectrometry is used for binding constant determination. The PDA was used to monitor droplet size and velocity, whereas LIF was used to monitor fluorescent analytes within the electrospray droplets. Using acetonitrile as solvent, we found an average initial droplet diameter of 10 microm in the electrospray. The PDA allowed us to follow the evolution of these droplets down to a size of 1 microm. Rhodamine B-sulfonylchloride was used as a fluorescent analyte within the electrospray. By spatially resolved LIF it was possible to probe the dimerization equilibrium of this dye. Measurements at different spray positions showed no influence of the decreasing droplet size on the monomer-dimer equilibrium. However, with the fluorescent dye pair DCM and oxazine 1 it was shown that a concentration increase does occur within electrosprayed droplets, using fluorescence resonance energy transfer as a probe for the average pair distance.

Hyper alginate gel microbead formation by molecular diffusion at the hydrogel/droplet interface.

Science.gov (United States)

Hirama, Hirotada; Kambe, Taisuke; Aketagawa, Kyouhei; Ota, Taku; Moriguchi, Hiroyuki; Torii, Toru

2013-01-15

We report a simple method for forming monodispersed, uniformly shaped gel microbeads with precisely controlled sizes. The basis of our method is the placement of monodispersed sodium alginate droplets, formed by a microfluidic device, on an agarose slab gel containing a high-osmotic-pressure gelation agent (CaCl(2) aq.): (1) the droplets are cross-linked (gelated) due to the diffusion of the gelation agent from the agarose slab gel to the sodium alginate droplets and (2) the droplets simultaneously shrink to a fraction of their original size (slab gel. We verified the mass transfer mechanism between the droplet and the agarose slab gel. This method circumvents the limitations of gel microbead formation, such as the need to prepare microchannels of various sizes, microchannel clogging, and the deformation of the produced gel microbeads.

Performance of droplet generator and droplet collector in liquid droplet radiator under microgravity

Science.gov (United States)

Totani, T.; Itami, M.; Nagata, H.; Kudo, I.; Iwasaki, A.; Hosokawa, S.

2002-06-01

The Liquid Droplet Radiator (LDR) has an advantage over comparable conventional radiators in terms of the rejected heat power-weight ratio. Therefore, the LDR has attracted attention as an advanced radiator for high-power space systems that will be prerequisite for large space structures. The performance of the LDR under microgravity condition has been studied from the viewpoint of operational space use of the LDR in the future. In this study, the performances of a droplet generator and a droplet collector in the LDR are investigated using drop shafts in Japan: MGLAB and JAMIC. As a result, it is considered that (1) the droplet generator can produce uniform droplet streams in the droplet diameter range from 200 to 280 [µm] and the spacing range from 400 to 950 [µm] under microgravity condition, (2) the droplet collector with the incidence angle of 35 degrees can prevent a uniform droplet stream, in which droplet diameter is 250 [µm] and the velocity is 16 [m/s], from splashing under microgravity condition, whereas splashes may occur at the surface of the droplet collector in the event that a nonuniform droplet stream collides against it.

OCS in He droplets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Grebenev, V.

2000-06-01

Phenomenon of superfluidity of para-hydrogen (pH{sub 2}){sub 1-17} and helium {sup 4}He{sub 1-7000} systems doped with an OCS chromophore molecule was investigated in this work. The study of such systems became possible after the development of the depletion spectroscopy technique in helium droplets. The droplets can be easily created and doped with up to 100 particles such as OCS, para-hydrogen or ortho-hydrogen molecules and {sup 4}He atoms. The measured infrared depletion spectra give the information about the temperature of the droplets and their aggregate state. The depletion spectrum of OCS in pure {sup 4}He droplets was comprehensively studied. The rovibrational OCS spectrum shows well resolved narrow lines. The spectrum is shifted to the red relative to the corresponding gas phase spectrum and the rotational constant of OCS in {sup 4}He droplet is three times smaller than that for free molecule. Different models of OCS rotation in the helium environment were discussed. It was shown that the shapes of the rovibrational lines are defined mainly by inhomogeneous broadening due to the droplet size distribution. The sub-rotational structure of the OCS rovibrational lines was revealed in microwave-infrared double resonance experiments. This structure arises due to the interaction of the OCS with the He environment. However, the information obtained in the experiments was not enough to understand the nature of this interaction. (orig.)

A flow-free droplet-based device for high throughput polymorphic crystallization.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Shih-Mo; Zhang, Dapeng; Chen, Wang; Chen, Shih-Chi

2015-06-21

Crystallization is one of the most crucial steps in the process of pharmaceutical formulation. In recent years, emulsion-based platforms have been developed and broadly adopted to generate high quality products. However, these conventional approaches such as stirring are still limited in several aspects, e.g., unstable crystallization conditions and broad size distribution; besides, only simple crystal forms can be produced. In this paper, we present a new flow-free droplet-based formation process for producing highly controlled crystallization with two examples: (1) NaCl crystallization reveals the ability to package saturated solution into nanoliter droplets, and (2) glycine crystallization demonstrates the ability to produce polymorphic crystallization forms by controlling the droplet size and temperature. In our process, the saturated solution automatically fills the microwell array powered by degassed bulk PDMS. A critical oil covering step is then introduced to isolate the saturated solution and control the water dissolution rate. Utilizing surface tension, the solution is uniformly packaged in the form of thousands of isolating droplets at the bottom of each microwell of 50-300 μm diameter. After water dissolution, individual crystal structures are automatically formed inside the microwell array. This approach facilitates the study of different glycine growth processes: α-form generated inside the droplets and γ-form generated at the edge of the droplets. With precise temperature control over nanoliter-sized droplets, the growth of ellipsoidal crystalline agglomerates of glycine was achieved for the first time. Optical and SEM images illustrate that the ellipsoidal agglomerates consist of 2-5 μm glycine clusters with inner spiral structures of ~35 μm screw pitch. Lastly, the size distribution of spherical crystalline agglomerates (SAs) produced from microwells of different sizes was measured to have a coefficient variation (CV) of less than 5%, showing

Evaporation of nanofluid droplet on heated surface

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yeung Chan Kim

2015-04-01

Full Text Available In this study, an experiment on the evaporation of nanofluid sessile droplet on a heated surface was conducted. A nanofluid of 0.5% volumetric concentration mixed with 80-nm-sized CuO powder and pure water were used for experiment. Droplet was applied to the heated surface, and images of the evaporation process were obtained. The recorded images were analyzed to find the volume, diameter, and contact angle of the droplet. In addition, the evaporative heat transfer coefficient was calculated from experimental result. The results of this study are summarized as follows: the base diameter of the droplet was maintained stably during the evaporation. The measured temperature of the droplet was increased rapidly for a very short time, then maintained constantly. The nanofluid droplet was evaporated faster than the pure water droplet under the experimental conditions of the same initial volume and temperature, and the average evaporative heat transfer coefficient of the nanofluid droplet was higher than that of pure water. We can consider the effects of the initial contact angle and thermal conductivity of nanofluid as the reason for this experimental result. However, the effect of surface roughness on the evaporative heat transfer of nanofluid droplet appeared unclear.

Some Lipid Droplets Are More Equal Than Others: Different Metabolic Lipid Droplet Pools in Hepatic Stellate Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Molenaar, Martijn R; Vaandrager, Arie B; Helms, J Bernd

2017-01-01

Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) are professional lipid-storing cells and are unique in their property to store most of the retinol (vitamin A) as retinyl esters in large-sized lipid droplets. Hepatic stellate cell activation is a critical step in the development of chronic liver disease, as activated HSCs cause fibrosis. During activation, HSCs lose their lipid droplets containing triacylglycerols, cholesteryl esters, and retinyl esters. Lipidomic analysis revealed that the dynamics of disappearance of these different classes of neutral lipids are, however, very different from each other. Although retinyl esters steadily decrease during HSC activation, triacylglycerols have multiple pools one of which becomes transiently enriched in polyunsaturated fatty acids before disappearing. These observations are consistent with the existence of preexisting "original" lipid droplets with relatively slow turnover and rapidly recycling lipid droplets that transiently appear during activation of HSCs. Elucidation of the molecular machinery involved in the regulation of these distinct lipid droplet pools may open new avenues for the treatment of liver fibrosis.

Droplet and multiphase effects in a shock-driven hydrodynamic instability with reshock

Science.gov (United States)

Middlebrooks, John B.; Avgoustopoulos, Constantine G.; Black, Wolfgang J.; Allen, Roy C.; McFarland, Jacob A.

2018-06-01

Shock-driven multiphase instabilities (SDMI) are unique physical phenomena that have far-reaching applications in engineering and science such as high energy explosions, scramjet combustors, and supernovae events. The SDMI arises when a multiphase field is impulsively accelerated by a shock wave and evolves as a result of gradients in particle-gas momentum transfer. A new shock tube facility has been constructed to study the SDMI. Experiments were conducted to investigate liquid particle and multiphase effects in the SDMI. A multiphase cylindrical interface was created with water droplet laden air in our horizontal shock tube facility. The interface was accelerated by a Mach 1.66 shock wave, and its reflection from the end wall. The interface development was captured using laser illumination and a high-resolution CCD camera. Laser interferometry was used to determine the droplet size distribution. A particle filtration technique was used to determine mass loading within an interface and verify particle size distribution. The effects of particle number density, particle size, and a secondary acceleration (reshock) of the interface were noted. Particle number density effects were found comparable to Atwood number effects in the Richtmyer-Meshkov instability for small (˜ 1.7 {μ }m) droplets. Evaporation was observed to alter droplet sizes and number density, markedly after reshock. For large diameter droplets (˜ 10.7 {μ }m), diminished development was observed with larger droplets lagging far behind the interface. These lagging droplets were also observed to breakup after reshock into structured clusters of smaller droplets. Mixing width values were reported to quantify mixing effects seen in images.

Size-fractionated characterization and quantification of nanoparticle release rates from a consumer spray product containing engineered nanoparticles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hagendorfer, Harald, E-mail: Harald.Hagendorfer@empa.c [EMPA, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research (Switzerland); Lorenz, Christiane, E-mail: Christiane.Lorenz@chem.ethz.c [ETHZ, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (Switzerland); Kaegi, Ralf, E-mail: Ralf.Kaegi@eawag.ch; Sinnet, Brian, E-mail: Brian.Sinnet@eawag.c [EAWAG, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Switzerland); Gehrig, Robert, E-mail: Robert.Gehrig@empa.c [EMPA, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research (Switzerland); Goetz, Natalie V., E-mail: Natalie.vonGoetz@chem.ethz.ch; Scheringer, Martin, E-mail: Martin.Scheringer@chem.ethz.c [ETHZ, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (Switzerland); Ludwig, Christian, E-mail: Christian.Ludwig@psi.c [PSI, Paul Scherrer Institue (Switzerland); Ulrich, Andrea, E-mail: Andrea.Ulrich@empa.c [EMPA, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research (Switzerland)

2010-09-15

This study describes methods developed for reliable quantification of size- and element-specific release of engineered nanoparticles (ENP) from consumer spray products. A modified glove box setup was designed to allow controlled spray experiments in a particle-minimized environment. Time dependence of the particle size distribution in a size range of 10-500 nm and ENP release rates were studied using a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS). In parallel, the aerosol was transferred to a size-calibrated electrostatic TEM sampler. The deposited particles were investigated using electron microscopy techniques in combination with image processing software. This approach enables the chemical and morphological characterization as well as quantification of released nanoparticles from a spray product. The differentiation of solid ENP from the released nano-sized droplets was achieved by applying a thermo-desorbing unit. After optimization, the setup was applied to investigate different spray situations using both pump and gas propellant spray dispensers for a commercially available water-based nano-silver spray. The pump spray situation showed no measurable nanoparticle release, whereas in the case of the gas spray, a significant release was observed. From the results it can be assumed that the homogeneously distributed ENP from the original dispersion grow in size and change morphology during and after the spray process but still exist as nanometer particles of size <100 nm. Furthermore, it seems that the release of ENP correlates with the generated aerosol droplet size distribution produced by the spray vessel type used. This is the first study presenting results concerning the release of ENP from spray products.

Size-fractionated characterization and quantification of nanoparticle release rates from a consumer spray product containing engineered nanoparticles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hagendorfer, Harald; Lorenz, Christiane; Kaegi, Ralf; Sinnet, Brian; Gehrig, Robert; Goetz, Natalie V.; Scheringer, Martin; Ludwig, Christian; Ulrich, Andrea

2010-01-01

This study describes methods developed for reliable quantification of size- and element-specific release of engineered nanoparticles (ENP) from consumer spray products. A modified glove box setup was designed to allow controlled spray experiments in a particle-minimized environment. Time dependence of the particle size distribution in a size range of 10-500 nm and ENP release rates were studied using a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS). In parallel, the aerosol was transferred to a size-calibrated electrostatic TEM sampler. The deposited particles were investigated using electron microscopy techniques in combination with image processing software. This approach enables the chemical and morphological characterization as well as quantification of released nanoparticles from a spray product. The differentiation of solid ENP from the released nano-sized droplets was achieved by applying a thermo-desorbing unit. After optimization, the setup was applied to investigate different spray situations using both pump and gas propellant spray dispensers for a commercially available water-based nano-silver spray. The pump spray situation showed no measurable nanoparticle release, whereas in the case of the gas spray, a significant release was observed. From the results it can be assumed that the homogeneously distributed ENP from the original dispersion grow in size and change morphology during and after the spray process but still exist as nanometer particles of size <100 nm. Furthermore, it seems that the release of ENP correlates with the generated aerosol droplet size distribution produced by the spray vessel type used. This is the first study presenting results concerning the release of ENP from spray products.

Investigation of Effective Parameters of Drop-on-Demand Droplet Generator

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mojtaba Ghodsi

2017-06-01

Full Text Available This article presents a design and development of a drop-on-demand (DOD droplets generator. This generator uses molten metal as a liquid and can be used in fabrication, prototyping and any kind of printing with solder droplets. This setup consists of a vibrator solenoid with tunable frequency to produce a semi-spherical shape of molten metal, close to the surface of fabrication. This design also has a nozzle with micro-size orifice, a rod for transmitting force and a heater to melt the metal and keep it in superheat temperature. This DOD can produce droplets in different sizes (less than 550 µm by controlling the vibration frequency of solenoid. This ability together with the accuracy of the droplets in positioning (the error is less than ±20 µm for 1.5 mm amplitude can be used in different applications.  Moreover, in this paper, the impact of initial position of the head and temperature on the average diameter of droplets and the impact of the frequency on the shape of the droplets have been tested and discussed

Direct current dielectrophoretic manipulation of the ionic liquid droplets in water.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Kai; Li, Dongqing

2018-07-13

The ionic liquids (ILs) as the environmentally benign solvents show great potentials in microemulsion carrier systems and have been widely used in the biochemical and pharmaceutical fields. In the work, the ionic liquid-in-water microemulsions were fabricated by using two kinds of hydrophobic ionic liquid, 1-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate [Bmim][PF 6 ] and 1-Hexyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate [Hmim][PF 6 ] with Tween 20. The ionic liquid droplets in water experience the dielectrophoretic (DEP) forces induced by applying electrical field via a nano-orifice and a micron orifice on the opposite channel walls of a microchannel. The dielectrophoretic behaviors of the ionic liquid-in-water emulsion droplets were investigated under direct current (DC) electric field. The positive and negative DEP behaviors of the ionic liquid-in-water droplets varying with the electrical conductivity of the suspending medium were investigated and two kinds of the ionic liquid droplets of similar sizes were separated by their different DEP behaviors. In addition, the separation of the ionic liquid-in-water droplets by size was conducted. This paper, for the first time to our knowledge, presents the DC-DEP manipulation of the ionic liquid-in-water emulsion droplets by size and by type. This method provides a platform to manipulate the ionic liquid droplets individually. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Dynamics of magnetic modulation of ferrofluid droplets for digital microfluidic applications

Science.gov (United States)

Sen, Uddalok; Chatterjee, Souvick; Sen, Swarnendu; Tiwari, Manish K.; Mukhopadhyay, Achintya; Ganguly, Ranjan

2017-01-01

Active control of droplet generation in a microfluidic platform attracts interest for development of digital microfluidic devices ranging from biosensors to micro-reactors to point-of-care diagnostic devices. The present paper characterizes, through an unsteady three-dimensional Volume of Fluid (VOF) simulation, the active control of ferrofluid droplet generation in a microfluidic T-junction in presence of a non-uniform magnetic field created by an external magnetic dipole. Two distinctly different positions of the dipole were considered - one upstream of the junction and one downstream. While keeping the ferrofluid flow rate fixed, a parametric variation of the continuous phase capillary number, dipole strength, and dipole position was carried out. Differences in the flow behaviour in terms of dripping or jetting and the droplet characteristics in terms of droplet formation time period and droplet size were studied. The existence of a threshold dipole strength, below which the magnetic force was not able to influence the flow behaviour, was identified. It was also observed that, for dipoles placed upstream of the junction, droplet formation was suppressed at some higher dipole strengths, and this value was found to increase with increasing capillary number. Droplet time period was also found to increase with increasing dipole strength, along with droplet size, i.e. an increase in droplet volume.

Droplets, Bubbles and Ultrasound Interactions.

Science.gov (United States)

Shpak, Oleksandr; Verweij, Martin; de Jong, Nico; Versluis, Michel

2016-01-01

The interaction of droplets and bubbles with ultrasound has been studied extensively in the last 25 years. Microbubbles are broadly used in diagnostic and therapeutic medical applications, for instance, as ultrasound contrast agents. They have a similar size as red blood cells, and thus are able to circulate within blood vessels. Perfluorocarbon liquid droplets can be a potential new generation of microbubble agents as ultrasound can trigger their conversion into gas bubbles. Prior to activation, they are at least five times smaller in diameter than the resulting bubbles. Together with the violent nature of the phase-transition, the droplets can be used for local drug delivery, embolotherapy, HIFU enhancement and tumor imaging. Here we explain the basics of bubble dynamics, described by the Rayleigh-Plesset equation, bubble resonance frequency, damping and quality factor. We show the elegant calculation of the above characteristics for the case of small amplitude oscillations by linearizing the equations. The effect and importance of a bubble coating and effective surface tension are also discussed. We give the main characteristics of the power spectrum of bubble oscillations. Preceding bubble dynamics, ultrasound propagation is introduced. We explain the speed of sound, nonlinearity and attenuation terms. We examine bubble ultrasound scattering and how it depends on the wave-shape of the incident wave. Finally, we introduce droplet interaction with ultrasound. We elucidate the ultrasound-focusing concept within a droplets sphere, droplet shaking due to media compressibility and droplet phase-conversion dynamics.

Retrieval of Droplet size Density Distribution from Multiple field of view Cross polarized Lidar Signals: Theory and Experimental Validation

Science.gov (United States)

2016-06-02

Retrieval of droplet-size density distribution from multiple-field-of-view cross-polarized lidar signals: theory and experimental validation...Gilles Roy, Luc Bissonnette, Christian Bastille, and Gilles Vallee Multiple-field-of-view (MFOV) secondary-polarization lidar signals are used to...use secondary polarization. A mathematical relation among the PSD, the lidar fields of view, the scattering angles, and the angular depolarization

Flashing liquid jets and two-phase droplet dispersion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cleary, Vincent; Bowen, Phil; Witlox, Henk

2007-01-01

The large-scale release of a liquid contained at upstream conditions above its local atmospheric boiling point is a scenario often given consideration in process industry risk analysis. Current-hazard quantification software often employs simplistic equilibrium two-phase approaches. Scaled water experiments have been carried out measuring droplet velocity and droplet size distributions for a range of exit orifice aspect ratios (L/d) and conditions representing low to high superheat. 2D Phase-Doppler Anemometry has been utilised to characterise droplet kinematics and spray quality. Droplet size correlations have been developed for non-flashing, the transition between non-flashing and flashing, and fully flashing jets. Using high-speed shadowography, transition between regimes is defined in terms of criteria identified in the external flow structure. An overview companion paper provides a wider overview of the problem and reports implementation of these correlations into consequence models and subsequent validation. The fluid utilised throughout is water, hence droplet correlations are developed in non-dimensional form to allow extrapolation to other fluids through similarity scaling, although verification of model performance for other fluids is required in future studies. Data is reduced via non-dimensionalisation in terms of the Weber number and Jakob number, essentially representing the fluid mechanics and thermodynamics of the system, respectively. A droplet-size distribution correlation has also been developed, conveniently presented as a volume undersize distribution based on the Rosin-Rammler distribution. Separate correlations are provided for sub-cooled mechanical break-up and fully flashing jets. This form of correlation facilitates rapid estimates of likely mass rainout quantities, as well as full distribution information for more rigorous two-phase thermodynamic modelling in the future

The minimum or natural rate of flow and droplet size ejected by Taylor cone–jets: physical symmetries and scaling laws

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gañán-Calvo, A M; Rebollo-Muñoz, N; Montanero, J M

2013-01-01

We aim to establish the scaling laws for both the minimum rate of flow attainable in the steady cone–jet mode of electrospray, and the size of the resulting droplets in that limit. Use is made of a small body of literature on Taylor cone–jets reporting precise measurements of the transported electric current and droplet size as a function of the liquid properties and flow rate. The projection of the data onto an appropriate non-dimensional parameter space maps a region bounded by the minimum rate of flow attainable in the steady state. To explain these experimental results, we propose a theoretical model based on the generalized concept of physical symmetry, stemming from the system time invariance (steadiness). A group of symmetries rising at the cone-to-jet geometrical transition determines the scaling for the minimum flow rate and related variables. If the flow rate is decreased below that minimum value, those symmetries break down, which leads to dripping. We find that the system exhibits two instability mechanisms depending on the nature of the forces arising against the flow: one dominated by viscosity and the other by the liquid polarity. In the former case, full charge relaxation is guaranteed down to the minimum flow rate, while in the latter the instability condition becomes equivalent to the symmetry breakdown by charge relaxation or separation. When cone–jets are formed without artificially imposing a flow rate, a microjet is issued quasi-steadily. The flow rate naturally ejected this way coincides with the minimum flow rate studied here. This natural flow rate determines the minimum droplet size that can be steadily produced by any electrohydrodynamic means for a given set of liquid properties. (paper)

The minimum or natural rate of flow and droplet size ejected by Taylor cone-jets: physical symmetries and scaling laws

Science.gov (United States)

Gañán-Calvo, A. M.; Rebollo-Muñoz, N.; Montanero, J. M.

2013-03-01

We aim to establish the scaling laws for both the minimum rate of flow attainable in the steady cone-jet mode of electrospray, and the size of the resulting droplets in that limit. Use is made of a small body of literature on Taylor cone-jets reporting precise measurements of the transported electric current and droplet size as a function of the liquid properties and flow rate. The projection of the data onto an appropriate non-dimensional parameter space maps a region bounded by the minimum rate of flow attainable in the steady state. To explain these experimental results, we propose a theoretical model based on the generalized concept of physical symmetry, stemming from the system time invariance (steadiness). A group of symmetries rising at the cone-to-jet geometrical transition determines the scaling for the minimum flow rate and related variables. If the flow rate is decreased below that minimum value, those symmetries break down, which leads to dripping. We find that the system exhibits two instability mechanisms depending on the nature of the forces arising against the flow: one dominated by viscosity and the other by the liquid polarity. In the former case, full charge relaxation is guaranteed down to the minimum flow rate, while in the latter the instability condition becomes equivalent to the symmetry breakdown by charge relaxation or separation. When cone-jets are formed without artificially imposing a flow rate, a microjet is issued quasi-steadily. The flow rate naturally ejected this way coincides with the minimum flow rate studied here. This natural flow rate determines the minimum droplet size that can be steadily produced by any electrohydrodynamic means for a given set of liquid properties.

Passive micromechanical tags. An investigation into writing information at nanometer resolution on micrometer size objects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schmieder, R.W.; Bastasz, R.J.

1995-01-01

The authors have completed a 3-year study of the technology related to the development of micron-sized passive micromechanical tags. The project was motivated by the discovery in 1990 by the present authors that low energy, high charge state ions (e.g., Xe{sup +44}) can produce nanometer-size damage sites on solid surfaces, and the realization that a pattern of these sites represents information. It was envisioned that extremely small, chemically inert, mechanical tags carrying a large label could be fabricated for a variety of applications, including tracking of controlled substances, document verification, process control, research, and engineering. Potential applications exist in the data storage, chemical, food, security, and other industries. The goals of this project were fully accomplished, and they are fully documented here. The work was both experimental and developmental. Most of the experimental effort was a search for appropriate tag materials. Several good materials were found, and the upper limits of information density were determined (ca. 10{sup 12} bit/cm{sup 2}). Most of the developmental work involved inventing systems and strategies for using these tags, and compiling available technologies for implementing them. The technology provided herein is application-specific: first, the application must be specified, then the tag can be developed for it. The project was not intended to develop a single tag for a single application or for all possible applications. Rather, it was meant to provide the enabling technology for fabricating tags for a range of applications. The results of this project provide sufficient information to proceed directly with such development.

Passive micromechanical tags. An investigation into writing information at nanometer resolution on micrometer size objects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schmieder, R.W.; Bastasz, R.J.

1995-01-01

The authors have completed a 3-year study of the technology related to the development of micron-sized passive micromechanical tags. The project was motivated by the discovery in 1990 by the present authors that low energy, high charge state ions (e.g., Xe +44 ) can produce nanometer-size damage sites on solid surfaces, and the realization that a pattern of these sites represents information. It was envisioned that extremely small, chemically inert, mechanical tags carrying a large label could be fabricated for a variety of applications, including tracking of controlled substances, document verification, process control, research, and engineering. Potential applications exist in the data storage, chemical, food, security, and other industries. The goals of this project were fully accomplished, and they are fully documented here. The work was both experimental and developmental. Most of the experimental effort was a search for appropriate tag materials. Several good materials were found, and the upper limits of information density were determined (ca. 10 12 bit/cm 2 ). Most of the developmental work involved inventing systems and strategies for using these tags, and compiling available technologies for implementing them. The technology provided herein is application-specific: first, the application must be specified, then the tag can be developed for it. The project was not intended to develop a single tag for a single application or for all possible applications. Rather, it was meant to provide the enabling technology for fabricating tags for a range of applications. The results of this project provide sufficient information to proceed directly with such development

Detection based on rainbow refractometry of droplet sphericity in liquid-liquid systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Lohner, H; Lehmann, P; Bauckhage, K

1999-03-01

The shape of droplets in liquid-liquid systems influences their mass and momentum transfer processes. The deviation from sphericity of rising droplets in liquid-liquid systems was investigated for different droplet sizes. Rainbow refractometry permits one to test, in this case, whether the use of laser-optical particle sizing will be correct or faulty. Since the assumption of spherical particle geometry is a general basis of laser-optical particle-sizing techniques such as rainbow refractometry or phase Doppler anemometry, deviation from the spherical shape results in a measuring error. A sphericity check based on rainbow refractometry is introduced.

Dynamics of magnetic modulation of ferrofluid droplets for digital microfluidic applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sen, Uddalok; Chatterjee, Souvick [Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60607 (United States); Sen, Swarnendu [Mechanical Engineering Department, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, 700032 India (India); Tiwari, Manish K. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, University College London, London, WC1E 7JE UK (United Kingdom); Mukhopadhyay, Achintya [Mechanical Engineering Department, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, 700032 India (India); Ganguly, Ranjan, E-mail: ranjan@pe.jusl.ac.in [Department of Power Engineering, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, 700098 India (India)

2017-01-01

Active control of droplet generation in a microfluidic platform attracts interest for development of digital microfluidic devices ranging from biosensors to micro-reactors to point-of-care diagnostic devices. The present paper characterizes, through an unsteady three-dimensional Volume of Fluid (VOF) simulation, the active control of ferrofluid droplet generation in a microfluidic T-junction in presence of a non-uniform magnetic field created by an external magnetic dipole. Two distinctly different positions of the dipole were considered – one upstream of the junction and one downstream. While keeping the ferrofluid flow rate fixed, a parametric variation of the continuous phase capillary number, dipole strength, and dipole position was carried out. Differences in the flow behaviour in terms of dripping or jetting and the droplet characteristics in terms of droplet formation time period and droplet size were studied. The existence of a threshold dipole strength, below which the magnetic force was not able to influence the flow behaviour, was identified. It was also observed that, for dipoles placed upstream of the junction, droplet formation was suppressed at some higher dipole strengths, and this value was found to increase with increasing capillary number. Droplet time period was also found to increase with increasing dipole strength, along with droplet size, i.e. an increase in droplet volume. - Highlights: • Active control of ferrofluid droplet generation in a microfluidic T-junction is demonstrated. • Unsteady three-dimensional Volume of Fluid (VOF) simulation is adopted. • Capillary number, dipole strength and position influence droplet shedding behaviour. • Magnetic actuation of a microfluidic droplet generator is characterised.

Video-microscopy of NCAP films: the observation of LC droplets in real time

Science.gov (United States)

Reamey, Robert H.; Montoya, Wayne; Wong, Abraham

1992-06-01

We have used video-microscopy to observe the behavior of liquid crystal (LC) droplets within nematic droplet-polymer films (NCAP) as the droplets respond to an applied electric field. The textures observed at intermediate fields yielded information about the process of liquid crystal orientation dynamics within droplets. The nematic droplet-polymer films had low LC content (less than 1 percent) to allow the observation of individual droplets in a 2 - 6 micrometers size range. The aqueous emulsification technique was used to prepare the films as it allows the straightforward preparation of low LC content films with a controlled droplet size range. Standard electro-optical (E-O) tests were also performed on the films, allowing us to correlate single droplet behavior with that of the film as a whole. Hysteresis measured in E-O tests was visually confirmed by droplet orientation dynamics; a film which had high hysteresis in E-O tests exhibited distinctly different LC orientations within the droplet when ramped up in voltage than when ramped down in voltage. Ramping the applied voltage to well above saturation resulted in some droplets becoming `stuck'' in a new droplet structure which can be made to revert back to bipolar with high voltage pulses or with heat.

KINOFORM LENSES - TOWARD NANOMETER RESOLUTION.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

STEIN, A.; EVANS-LUTTERODT, K.; TAYLOR, A.

2004-10-23

While hard x-rays have wavelengths in the nanometer and sub-nanometer range, the ability to focus them is limited by the quality of sources and optics, and not by the wavelength. A few options, including reflective (mirrors), diffractive (zone plates) and refractive (CRL's) are available, each with their own limitations. Here we present our work with kinoform lenses which are refractive lenses with all material causing redundant 2{pi} phase shifts removed to reduce the absorption problems inherently limiting the resolution of refractive lenses. By stacking kinoform lenses together, the effective numerical aperture, and thus the focusing resolution, can be increased. The present status of kinoform lens fabrication and testing at Brookhaven is presented as well as future plans toward achieving nanometer resolution.

Characteristics of droplet motion in effervescent sprays

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jedelský Jan

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Time resolved droplet size and velocity measurement was made using Phase-Doppler anemometry in an effervescent spray at GLR of 6 % and operation pressure drops 21 – 52 kPa. The spray shows a size dependent variation of mean as well as fluctuating axial and radial velocities of droplets similarly for all operation regimes. Particles under 13 μm follow the gas flow, axially decelerated due to gas expansion. Velocity of medium sized particles is positively size correlated and larger particles keep high velocity, given them during discharge. Fluctuating radial velocity of small particles is larger than that of large particles while fluctuating axial velocity increases with size. Small particles thus reach a ratio of radial to axial velocity fluctuations ~ 0.6 but large particles only ~ 0.1, which indicates large transverse dispersion of small particles. Overall fluctuating velocity ratios smaller than 0.5 document an anisotropic character of the liquid mass fluctuations. Power spectral density (PSD of axial velocity fluctuations of large droplets is uniform up to 1 kHz, while PSD of smaller particles drops down with frequency for frequencies > 100 Hz. Large particles thus preserve the fluctuations imposed during discharge while the gas turbulence drops with frequency. Turbulence intensity reaches 14 to 21 % depending on pressure. Such high-turbulence character of the flow probably results from a heterogeneous gas–liquid mixture at the discharge.

Characteristics of droplet motion in effervescent sprays

Science.gov (United States)

Jedelský, Jan; Zaremba, Matouš; Malý, Milan; Jícha, Miroslav

2014-03-01

Time resolved droplet size and velocity measurement was made using Phase-Doppler anemometry in an effervescent spray at GLR of 6 % and operation pressure drops 21 - 52 kPa. The spray shows a size dependent variation of mean as well as fluctuating axial and radial velocities of droplets similarly for all operation regimes. Particles under 13 μm follow the gas flow, axially decelerated due to gas expansion. Velocity of medium sized particles is positively size correlated and larger particles keep high velocity, given them during discharge. Fluctuating radial velocity of small particles is larger than that of large particles while fluctuating axial velocity increases with size. Small particles thus reach a ratio of radial to axial velocity fluctuations ~ 0.6 but large particles only ~ 0.1, which indicates large transverse dispersion of small particles. Overall fluctuating velocity ratios smaller than 0.5 document an anisotropic character of the liquid mass fluctuations. Power spectral density (PSD) of axial velocity fluctuations of large droplets is uniform up to 1 kHz, while PSD of smaller particles drops down with frequency for frequencies > 100 Hz. Large particles thus preserve the fluctuations imposed during discharge while the gas turbulence drops with frequency. Turbulence intensity reaches 14 to 21 % depending on pressure. Such high-turbulence character of the flow probably results from a heterogeneous gas-liquid mixture at the discharge.

Optoelectronic circuits in nanometer CMOS technology

CERN Document Server

Atef, Mohamed

2016-01-01

This book describes the newest implementations of integrated photodiodes fabricated in nanometer standard CMOS technologies. It also includes the required fundamentals, the state-of-the-art, and the design of high-performance laser drivers, transimpedance amplifiers, equalizers, and limiting amplifiers fabricated in nanometer CMOS technologies. This book shows the newest results for the performance of integrated optical receivers, laser drivers, modulator drivers and optical sensors in nanometer standard CMOS technologies. Nanometer CMOS technologies rapidly advanced, enabling the implementation of integrated optical receivers for high data rates of several Giga-bits per second and of high-pixel count optical imagers and sensors. In particular, low cost silicon CMOS optoelectronic integrated circuits became very attractive because they can be extensively applied to short-distance optical communications, such as local area network, chip-to-chip and board-to-board interconnects as well as to imaging and medical...

[Study of relationship between powder-size gradation and mechanical properties of Zirconia toughened glass infiltrated nanometer-ceramic composite powder].

Science.gov (United States)

Chai, Feng; Xu, Ling; Liao, Yun-mao; Chao, Yong-lie

2003-07-01

The fabrication of all-ceramic dental restorations is challenged by ceramics' relatively low flexural strength and intrinsic poor resistance to fracture. This paper aimed at investigating the relationships between powder-size gradation and mechanical properties of Zirconia toughened glass infiltrated nanometer-ceramic composite (Al(2)O(3)-nZrO(2)). Al(2)O(3)-nZrO(2) ceramics powder (W) was processed by combination methods of chemical co-precipitation and ball milling with addition of different powder-sized ZrO(2). Field-emission scanning electron microscopy was used to determine the particle size distribution and characterize the particle morphology of powders. The matrix compacts were made by slip-casting technique and sintered to 1,450 degrees C and flexural strength and the fracture toughness of them were measured. 1. The particle distribution of Al(2)O(3)-nZrO(2) ceramics powder ranges from 0.02 - 3.5 micro m and among them the superfine particles almost accounted for 20%. 2. The ceramic matrix samples with addition of nZrO(2) (W) showed much higher flexural strength (115.434 +/- 5.319) MPa and fracture toughness (2.04 +/- 0.10) MPa m(1/2) than those of pure Al(2)O(3) ceramics (62.763 +/- 7.220 MPa; 1.16 +/- 0.02 MPa m(1/2)). The particle size of additive ZrO(2) may impose influences on mechanical properties of Al(2)O(3)-nZrO(2) ceramics matrix. Good homogeneity and reasonable powder-size gradation of ceramic powder can improve the mechanical properties of material.

Multiscale Simulation of Gas Film Lubrication During Liquid Droplet Collision

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Xiaodong; Khare, Prashant; Ma, Dongjun; Yang, Vigor

2012-02-01

Droplet collision plays an elementary role in dense spray combustion process. When two droplets approach each other, a gas film forms in between. The pressure generated within the film prevents motion of approaching droplets. This fluid mechanics is fluid film lubrication that occurs when opposing bearing surfaces are completely separated by fluid film. The lubrication flow in gas film decides the collision outcome, coalescence or bouncing. Present study focuses on gas film drainage process over a wide range of Weber numbers during equal- and unequal-sized droplet collision. The formulation is based on complete set of conservation equations for both liquid and surrounding gas phases. An improved volume-of-fluid technique, augmented by an adaptive mesh refinement algorithm, is used to track liquid/gas interfaces. A unique thickness-based refinement algorithm based on topology of interfacial flow is developed and implemented to efficiently resolve the multiscale problem. The grid size on interface is up O(10-4) of droplet size with a max resolution of 0.015 μm. An advanced visualization technique using the Ray-tracing methodology is used to gain direct insights to detailed physics. Theories are established by analyzing the characteristics of shape changing and flow evolution.

On the relevance of droplet sedimentation in stratocumulus-top mixing

Science.gov (United States)

Mellado, Juan Pedro; de Lozar, Alberto

2017-11-01

The interaction between droplet sedimentation, turbulent mixing, evaporative cooling, and radiative cooling at the top of stratocumulus clouds has been studied using direct numerical simulations. This interaction is important to determine the mixing rate of the cloud and dry air above it, which eventually determines the cloud lifetime. By investigating the entrainment-rate equation, which is an analytical relationship between the contributions to cloud-top entrainment from the phenomena indicated above, we have found that the reduction of entrainment velocity by droplet sedimentation can be 2 to 3 times larger than previously conjectured. The reason is twofold. First, the reduction of evaporative cooling as droplets fall out of the inversion is stronger than previously observed in large-eddy simulations, where excessive mixing by turbulence models and numerical artifacts may have partially masked this effect of sedimentation on entrainment. Second, there is a non-negligible direct contribution from mass loading, as falling droplets leave behind more buoyant air in the inversion. This contribution is proportional to the fifth moment of the droplet-size distribution, which provides further evidence for the need to better understand the evolution of the droplet-size distribution.

Liquid crystal droplet formation and anchoring dynamics in a microfluidic device

Science.gov (United States)

Steinhaus, Ben; Shen, Amy; Feng, James; Link, Darren

2004-11-01

Liquid crystal drops dispersed in a continuous phase of silicon oil are generated with a narrow distribution in droplet size in microfluidic devices both above and below the nematic to isotropic transition temperature. For these two cases, we observe not only the different LC droplet generation and coalescence dynamics, but also distinct droplet morphology. Our experiments show that the nematic liquid crystalline order is important for the LC droplet formation and anchoring dynamics.

Wetting kinetics of water nano-droplet containing non-surfactant nanoparticles: A molecular dynamics study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu, Gui; Hu, Han; Sun, Ying; Duan, Yuanyuan

2013-01-01

In this Letter, dynamic wetting of water nano-droplets containing non-surfactant gold nanoparticles on a gold substrate is examined via molecular dynamics simulations. The results show that the addition of non-surfactant nanoparticles hinders the nano-second droplet wetting process, attributed to the increases in both surface tension of the nanofluid and friction between nanofluid and substrate. The droplet wetting kinetics decreases with increasing nanoparticle loading and water-particle interaction energy. The observed wetting suppression and the absence of nanoparticle ordering near the contact line of nano-sized droplets differ from the wetting behaviors reported from nanofluid droplets of micron size or larger

Preparation, characterization and optical properties of Lanthanum-(nanometer MCM-41) composite materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhai, Q. Z.; Wang, P.

2008-01-01

Nanometer MCM-41 molecular sieve was prepared under a base condition by using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide as template and tetraethyl orthosilicate as silica source by means of hydrothermal method. Lanthanum(III) was incorporated into the nanometer MCM-41 by a liquid phase grafting method. The prepared nano composite materials were characterized by means of powder X-ray diffraction, spectrophotometric analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, low temperature nitrogen adsorption-desorption technique, solid diffuse reflectance absorption spectra and luminescence. The powder X-ray diffraction studies show that the nanometer MCM-41 molecular sieve is successfully prepared. The highly ordered meso porous two-dimensional hexagonal channel structure and framework of the support MCM-41 is retained intact in the prepared composite material La-(nanometer MCM-41). The spectrophotometric analysis indicates that lanthanum exists in the prepared nano composite materials. The Fourier transform infrared spectra indicate that the framework of the MCM-41 molecular sieve still remains in the prepared nano composite materials and some framework vibration peaks show blue shifts relative to those of the MCM-41 molecular sieve. The low temperature nitrogen adsorption-desorption indicates that the guest locales in the channel of the molecular sieve. Compared with bulk lanthanum oxide, the guest in the channel of the molecular sieve has smaller particle size and shows a significant blue shift of optical absorption band in solid diffuse reflectance absorption spectra. The observed blue shift in the solid state diffuse reflectance absorption spectra of the lanthanum-(nanometer MCM-41) sample show the obvious stereoscopic confinement effect of the channel of the host on the guest, which further indicates the successful encapsulation of the guest in the host. The La-(nanometer MCM-41) sample shows luminescence

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD-Based Droplet Size Estimates in Emulsification Equipment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jo Janssen

2016-12-01

Full Text Available While academic literature shows steady progress in combining multi-phase computational fluid dynamics (CFD and population balance modelling (PBM of emulsification processes, the computational burden of this approach is still too large for routine use in industry. The challenge, thus, is to link a sufficiently detailed flow analysis to the droplet behavior in a way that is both physically relevant and computationally manageable. In this research article we propose the use of single-phase CFD to map out the local maximum stable droplet diameter within a given device, based on well-known academic droplet break-up studies in quasi-steady 2D linear flows. The results of the latter are represented by analytical correlations for the critical capillary number, which are valid across a wide viscosity ratio range. Additionally, we suggest a parameter to assess how good the assumption of quasi-steady 2D flow is locally. The approach is demonstrated for a common lab-scale rotor-stator device (Ultra-Turrax, IKA-Werke GmbH, Staufen, Germany. It is found to provide useful insights with minimal additional user coding and little increase in computational effort compared to the single-phase CFD simulations of the flow field, as such. Some suggestions for further development are briefly discussed.

Interface-Resolving Simulation of Collision Efficiency of Cloud Droplets

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Lian-Ping; Peng, Cheng; Rosa, Bodgan; Onishi, Ryo

2017-11-01

Small-scale air turbulence could enhance the geometric collision rate of cloud droplets while large-scale air turbulence could augment the diffusional growth of cloud droplets. Air turbulence could also enhance the collision efficiency of cloud droplets. Accurate simulation of collision efficiency, however, requires capture of the multi-scale droplet-turbulence and droplet-droplet interactions, which has only been partially achieved in the recent past using the hybrid direct numerical simulation (HDNS) approach. % where Stokes disturbance flow is assumed. The HDNS approach has two major drawbacks: (1) the short-range droplet-droplet interaction is not treated rigorously; (2) the finite-Reynolds number correction to the collision efficiency is not included. In this talk, using two independent numerical methods, we will develop an interface-resolved simulation approach in which the disturbance flows are directly resolved numerically, combined with a rigorous lubrication correction model for near-field droplet-droplet interaction. This multi-scale approach is first used to study the effect of finite flow Reynolds numbers on the droplet collision efficiency in still air. Our simulation results show a significant finite-Re effect on collision efficiency when the droplets are of similar sizes. Preliminary results on integrating this approach in a turbulent flow laden with droplets will also be presented. This work is partially supported by the National Science Foundation.

Water droplet evaporation from sticky superhydrophobic surfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Moonchan; Kim, Wuseok; Lee, Sanghee; Baek, Seunghyeon; Yong, Kijung; Jeon, Sangmin

2017-07-01

The evaporation dynamics of water from sticky superhydrophobic surfaces was investigated using a quartz crystal microresonator and an optical microscope. Anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) layers with different pore sizes were directly fabricated onto quartz crystal substrates and hydrophobized via chemical modification. The resulting AAO layers exhibited hydrophobic or superhydrophobic characteristics with strong adhesion to water due to the presence of sealed air pockets inside the nanopores. After placing a water droplet on the AAO membranes, variations in the resonance frequency and Q-factor were measured throughout the evaporation process, which were related to changes in mass and viscous damping, respectively. It was found that droplet evaporation from a sticky superhydrophobic surface followed a constant contact radius (CCR) mode in the early stage of evaporation and a combination of CCR and constant contact angle modes without a Cassie-Wenzel transition in the final stage. Furthermore, AAO membranes with larger pore sizes exhibited longer evaporation times, which were attributed to evaporative cooling at the droplet interface.

3-Dimensional Microorifice Fabricated Utilizing Single Undercut Etching Process for Producing Ultrasmall Water and Chitosan Droplets

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Che-Hsin Lin

2013-01-01

Full Text Available This research reports a microfluidic device for producing small droplets via a microorifice and a T-junction structure. The orifice is fabricated using an isotropic undercut etching process of amorphous glass materials. Since the equivalent hydraulic diameter of the produced microorifice can be as small as 1.1 μm, the microdevice can easily produce droplets of the size smaller than 10 μm in diameter. In addition, a permanent hydrophobic coating technique is also applied to modify the main channel to be hydrophobic to enhance the formation of water-based droplets. Experimental results show that the developed microfluidic chip with the ultrasmall orifice can steadily produce water-in-oil droplets with different sizes. Uniform water-in-oil droplets with the size from 60 μm to 6.5 μm in diameter can be formed by adjusting the flow rate ratio of the continuous phase and the disperse phases from 1 to 7. Moreover, curable linear polymer of chitosan droplets with the size smaller than 100 μm can also be successfully produced using the developed microchip device. The microfluidic T-junction with a micro-orifice developed in the present study provides a simple yet efficient way to produce various droplets of different sizes.

Uniform droplet splitting and detection using Lab-on-Chip flow cytometry on a microfluidic PDMS device

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kunstmann-Olsen, Casper; Hanczyc, Martin; Hoyland, James

2016-01-01

are analyzed in situ based on optical signal intensities. By controlling the hydrodynamic flow focusing, uniform droplets of sizes between 100 μm and 300 μm are created with precise size control. Cross-flow shearing allows one to divide these droplets into anything from 2 to 9 individual droplets, depending...

Computations of droplet impingement on airfoils in two-phase flow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Sang Dug; Song, Dong Joo

2005-01-01

The aerodynamic effects of leading-edge accretion can raise important safety concerns since the formulation of ice causes severe degradation in aerodynamic performance as compared with the clean airfoil. The objective of this study is to develop a numerical simulation strategy for predicting the particle trajectory around an MS-0317 airfoil in the test section of the NASA Glenn Icing Research Tunnel and to investigate the impingement characteristics of droplets on the airfoil surface. In particular, predictions of the mean velocity and turbulence diffusion using turbulent flow solver and continuous random walk method were desired throughout this flow domain in order to investigate droplet dispersion. The collection efficiency distributions over the airfoil surface in simulations with different numbers of droplets, various integration time-steps and particle sizes were compared with experimental data. The large droplet impingement data indicated the trends in impingement characteristics with respect to particle size; the maximum collection efficiency located at the upper surface near the leading edge, and the maximum value and total collection efficiency were increased as the particle size was increased. The extent of the area impinged on by particles also increased with the increment of the particle size, which is similar as compared with experimental data

Simple and rapid spectrophotometric determination of trace titanium (IV) enriched by nanometer size zirconium dioxide in natural water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zheng Fengying; Li Shunxing; Lin Luxiu; Cheng Liqing

2009-01-01

A novel method for preconcentration of Ti(IV) with nanometer size ZrO 2 and determination by spectrophotometry has been developed. Ti(IV) was selectively adsorbed on 300 mg ZrO 2 from 500 mL solution at pH 6.0, then eluted by 5 mL 11.3 mol L -1 HF. The eluent added was diantipyrylmethane (DAPM, as chromogenic reagent) and ascorbic acid (as masking agent), used for the analysis of Ti(IV) by measuring the absorbance at 390 nm with spectrophotometry, based on the chromogenic reaction between the Ti(IV) and DAPM. This method gave a concentration enhancement of 100 for 500 mL sample, eliminated the sizable interferences on direct determination with spectrophotometry. Detection limit (3σ, n = 11) of 0.1 μg L -1 was obtained. The method was applied to determine the concentration of Ti(IV) in river water and seawater and the analytical recoveries of Ti(IV) added to samples were 97.6-101.3%.

Development of an imaging system for single droplet characterization using a droplet generator.

Science.gov (United States)

Minov, S Vulgarakis; Cointault, F; Vangeyte, J; Pieters, J G; Hijazi, B; Nuyttens, D

2012-01-01

The spray droplets generated by agricultural nozzles play an important role in the application accuracy and efficiency of plant protection products. The limitations of the non-imaging techniques and the recent improvements in digital image acquisition and processing increased the interest in using high speed imaging techniques in pesticide spray characterisation. The goal of this study was to develop an imaging technique to evaluate the characteristics of a single spray droplet using a piezoelectric single droplet generator and a high speed imaging technique. Tests were done with different camera settings, lenses, diffusers and light sources. The experiments have shown the necessity for having a good image acquisition and processing system. Image analysis results contributed in selecting the optimal set-up for measuring droplet size and velocity which consisted of a high speed camera with a 6 micros exposure time, a microscope lens at a working distance of 43 cm resulting in a field of view of 1.0 cm x 0.8 cm and a Xenon light source without diffuser used as a backlight. For measuring macro-spray characteristics as the droplet trajectory, the spray angle and the spray shape, a Macro Video Zoom lens at a working distance of 14.3 cm with a bigger field of view of 7.5 cm x 9.5 cm in combination with a halogen spotlight with a diffuser and the high speed camera can be used.

Understanding spatial and temporal behavior of sea spray droplets in the marine atmospheric boundary layer using an Eulerian-Lagrangian model

Science.gov (United States)

Nissanka, I. D.; Richter, D. H.

2017-12-01

Previous studies have shown that sea spray droplets can play a significant role in air-sea heat and moisture exchange. The larger spray droplets have potential to transfer considerable amount of mass, momentum and heat, however they remain closer to surface and their residence times are shorter due to the faster settling. On the other hand, smaller droplets have high vertical mobility which allows sufficient time for droplets to adjust to ambient conditions. Hence, to study the heat and moisture characteristics of sea spray droplets it is important to understand how different droplet sizes behave in the Marine Atmospheric Boundary Layer (MABL), especially their temporal evolutions. In this study sea spray droplet transport in the MABL is simulated using Large Eddy Simulation combined with a Lagrangian Particle model which represents spray droplets of varying size. The individual droplets are tracked while their radius and temperature evolve based on local ambient conditions. The particles are advected based on the local resolved velocities and the particle dispersion due to sub-filtered scale motions are modeled using a Lagrangian stochastic model. In this study a series of simulations are conducted with the focus of understanding fundamental droplet microphysics, which will help characterize and quantify the lifetime and airborne concentrations of spray droplets in the MABL, thus elucidating ongoing knowledge gaps which are impossible to fill using observations alone. We measure the size resolved spray droplet vertical concentrations, particle residence times, and temporal evolution of droplet radius and temperature to explain the behavior of sea spry droplets in MABL. The PDF of residence time of different initial droplet sizes and joint PDFs of droplet life time and radius and temperature for different droplet sizes are calculated to further quantify the temporal and spatial behavior of sea spray droplets in the MABL, which can be used as inputs into bulk models

High-throughput controllable generation of droplet arrays with low consumption

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Yinyin; Wu, Zhongsheng; Gao, Yibo; Wu, Jinbo; Wen, Weijia

2018-06-01

We describe a controllable sliding method for fabricating millions of isolated femto- to nanoliter-sized droplets with defined volume, geometry and position and a speed of up to 375 kHz. In this work, without using a superhydrophobic or superoleophobic surface, arrays of droplets are instantly formed on the patterned substrate by sliding a strip of liquid, including water, low-surface-tension organic solvents and solution, along the substrate. To precisely control the volume of the droplets, we systemically investigate the effects of the size of the wettable pattern, the viscosity of the liquid and sliding speed, which were found to vary independently to tune the height and volume of the droplets. Through this method, we successfully fabricated an oriented single metal-organic framework crystal array with control over their XY positioning on the surface, as characterized by microscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques.

Strange particle production from quark matter droplets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Werner, K.; Hladik, M.

1995-01-01

We recently introduced new methods to study ultrarelativistic nuclear scattering by providing a link between the string model approach and a thermal description. The string model is used to provide information about fluctuations in energy density. Regions of high energy density are considered to be quark matter droplets and treated macroscopically. At SPS energies, we find mainly medium size droplets---with energies up to few tens of Gev. A key issue is the microcanonical treatment of individual quark matter droplets. Each droplet hadronizes instantaneously according to the available n-body phase space. Due to the huge number of possible hadron configurations, special Monte Carlo techniques have been developed to calculate this disintegration. We present results concerning the production of strange particles from such a hadronization as compared to string decay. copyright 1995 American Institute of Physics

Phenomenology and control of buckling dynamics in multicomponent colloidal droplets

Science.gov (United States)

Pathak, Binita; Basu, Saptarshi

2015-06-01

Self-assembly of nano sized particles during natural drying causes agglomeration and shell formation at the surface of micron sized droplets. The shell undergoes sol-gel transition leading to buckling at the weakest point on the surface and produces different types of structures. Manipulation of the buckling rate with inclusion of surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulphate, SDS) and salt (anilinium hydrochloride, AHC) to the nano-sized particle dispersion (nanosilica) is reported here in an acoustically levitated single droplet. Buckling in levitated droplets is a cumulative, complicated function of acoustic streaming, chemistry, agglomeration rate, porosity, radius of curvature, and elastic energy of shell. We put forward our hypothesis on how buckling occurs and can be suppressed during natural drying of the droplets. Global precipitation of aggregates due to slow drying of surfactant-added droplets (no added salts) enhances the rigidity of the shell formed and hence reduces the buckling probability of the shell. On the contrary, adsorption of SDS aggregates on salt ions facilitates the buckling phenomenon with an addition of minute concentration of the aniline salt to the dispersion. Variation in the concentration of the added particles (SDS/AHC) also leads to starkly different morphologies and transient behaviour of buckling (buckling modes like paraboloid, ellipsoid, and buckling rates). Tuning of the buckling rate causes a transition in the final morphology from ring and bowl shapes to cocoon type of structure.

Micro-droplet formation via 3D printed micro channel

Science.gov (United States)

Jian, Zhen; Zhang, Jiaming; Li, Erqiang; Thoroddsen, Sigurdur T.

2016-11-01

Low cost, fast-designed and fast-fabricated 3D micro channel was used to create micro-droplets. Capillary with an outer diameter of 1.5 mm and an inner diameter of 150 μm was inserted into a 3D printed cylindrical channel with a diameter of 2 mm . Flow rate of the two inlets, insert depth, liquid (density, viscosity and surface tension) and solid (roughness, contact angle) properties all play a role in the droplet formation. Different regimes - dripping, jetting, unstable state - were observed in the micro-channel on varying these parameters. With certain parameter combinations, successive formation of micro-droplets with equal size was observed and its size can be much smaller than the smallest channel size. Based on our experimental results, the droplet formation via 3D printed micro T-junction was investigated through direct numerical simulations with a code called Gerris. Reynolds numbers Re = ρUL / μ and Weber numbers We = ρU2 L / σ of the two liquids were introduced to measure the liquid effect. The parameter regime where different physical dynamics occur was studied and the regime transition was observed with certain threshold values. Qualitative and quantitative analysis were performed as well between simulations and experiments.

Measurement and model development of the droplet diameter in rod bundles with spacer grids in the reactor core

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

No, Hee Cheon; Lee, Eo Hwak; Yoo, Seung Hun; Jin, Hyung Gon; Kim, In Hun [KAIST, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2010-05-15

To understand and to predict the heat transfer between superheated steam and droplets properly during reflood phase of LBLOCA of APR1400, it is very important to measure broken droplet sizes by spacer grids. A study, therefore, has been performed to investigate droplet size in rod bundles with spacer grids and to develop a spacer grid droplet size model for safety analysis codes. Experiments were conducted with liquid droplets (SMD of 300{approx}700 {mu}m) impacting on various spacer grids at air superficial velocity of 10 and 20 m/s based on FLECHT SEASET. The test channel and the grids were heated to 150 .deg. C to prevent the formation of liquid film during tests. The spacer grids were designed refer to the Korean fuel rod bundles (Korean Standard Fuel, Plus 7) of APR1400 with various blockage area ratio and grid geometries (strap thickness, mixing vane) and about 15,000 droplets were measured at upstream and downstream of the grids in 16 tests. As a result, the measurement of broken droplet size by spacer grids with photography method is presented and the droplet size model related to spacer grids as a function of blockage area ratio is suggested in this report

Droplet ejection and sliding on a flapping film

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xi Chen

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Water recovery and subsequent reuse are required for human consumption as well as industrial, and agriculture applications. Moist air streams, such as cooling tower plumes and fog, represent opportunities for water harvesting. In this work, we investigate a flapping mechanism to increase droplet shedding on thin, hydrophobic films for two vibrational cases (e.g., ± 9 mm and 11 Hz; ± 2 mm and 100 Hz. Two main mechanisms removed water droplets from the flapping film: vibrational-induced coalescence/sliding and droplet ejection from the surface. Vibrations mobilized droplets on the flapping film, increasing the probability of coalescence with neighboring droplets leading to faster droplet growth. Droplet departure sizes of 1–2 mm were observed for flapping films, compared to 3–4 mm on stationary films, which solely relied on gravity for droplet removal. Additionally, flapping films exhibited lower percentage area coverage by water after a few seconds. The second removal mechanism, droplet ejection was analyzed with respect to surface wave formation and inertia. Smaller droplets (e.g., 1-mm diameter were ejected at a higher frequency which is associated with a higher acceleration. Kinetic energy of the water was the largest contributor to energy required to flap the film, and low energy inputs (i.e., 3.3 W/m2 were possible. Additionally, self-flapping films could enable novel water collection and condensation with minimal energy input.

Two-particle correlations from droplet formation in high multiplicity anti pp events

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ruuskanen, P.V.; Seibert, D.

1988-01-01

We study the correlations that arise from the formation of plasma droplets in high multiplicity events observed in recent FNAL anti pp collisions at √s=1.8 TeV. We show how the correlation between the final particles depends on the droplet size and density and on correlations between the droplets. We find that the two-particle correlation function R 2 could provide a clear signal for the formation of droplets. (orig.)

Ignition of a floating droplet of organic coal-water fuel

Science.gov (United States)

Nakoryakov, V. E.; Kuznetsov, G. V.; Strizhak, P. A.

2016-06-01

The results of experimental investigations are presented for the ignition of droplets (particles) of organic coal-water fuels (OCWFs) floating in a flow of an oxidizer using a special combustion chamber from high-temperature quartz glass. The temperature and the velocity of motion of the oxidizer vary in the ranges of 500-900 K and 0.5-3 m/s. The initial sizes (radii) of fuel droplets amounted to 0.3-1.5 mm. As the basic OCWF components, particles (of 80-100 µm in size) of brown coal "B2," water, mazut, and waste castor and compressor oils are used. With use of the system of high-velocity video registration, the conditions providing for floating of OCWF particles without initiation of burning and with the subsequent steady ignition are established. Four modes of OCWF-droplet ignition with different trajectories of their motion in the combustion chamber are singled out. The times of the OCWF-ignition delay in dependence on the size of fuel particles and oxidizer temperatures are determined. The deviations of the OCWF-ignition-delay times obtained under conditions of suspension of a droplet on the thermocouple junction and while floating in the oxidizer flow are established.

Impinging Water Droplets on Inclined Glass Surfaces

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Armijo, Kenneth Miguel [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Lance, Blake [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Ho, Clifford K. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2017-09-01

Multiphase computational models and tests of falling water droplets on inclined glass surfaces were developed to investigate the physics of impingement and potential of these droplets to self-clean glass surfaces for photovoltaic modules and heliostats. A multiphase volume-of-fluid model was developed in ANSYS Fluent to simulate the impinging droplets. The simulations considered different droplet sizes (1 mm and 3 mm), tilt angles (0°, 10°, and 45°), droplet velocities (1 m/s and 3 m/s), and wetting characteristics (wetting=47° contact angle and non-wetting = 93° contact angle). Results showed that the spread factor (maximum droplet diameter during impact divided by the initial droplet diameter) decreased with increasing inclination angle due to the reduced normal force on the surface. The hydrophilic surface yielded greater spread factors than the hydrophobic surface in all cases. With regard to impact forces, the greater surface tilt angles yielded lower normal forces, but higher shear forces. Experiments showed that the experimentally observed spread factor (maximum droplet diameter during impact divided by the initial droplet diameter) was significantly larger than the simulated spread factor. Observed spread factors were on the order of 5 - 6 for droplet velocities of ~3 m/s, whereas the simulated spread factors were on the order of 2. Droplets were observed to be mobile following impact only for the cases with 45° tilt angle, which matched the simulations. An interesting phenomenon that was observed was that shortly after being released from the nozzle, the water droplet oscillated (like a trampoline) due to the "snapback" caused by the surface tension of the water droplet being released from the nozzle. This oscillation impacted the velocity immediately after the release. Future work should evaluate the impact of parameters such as tilt angle and surface wettability on the impact of particle/soiling uptake and removal to investigate ways that

LDA measurement of droplet behavior across tie plate during dispersed flow portion of loca reflood

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, S.L.; Srinivasan, J.; Cho, S.K.

1980-01-01

The flow of an air-water droplet dispersion in a simulated 3-D test section in the reflood portion of LOCA was studied. For this purpose, a new scheme of Laser-Doppler Anemometry for the simultaneous measurement of size and velocity of large-size [0.5 mm-6 mm] droplets was developed and utilized. It was observed that the size distribution of the reentrained droplets depends mainly on the flow regimes and is essentially independent of that of the incoming dispersion below the tie plate. 8 refs

Evaluation of droplet deposition in rod bundle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ji, W.; Gu, C.Y.; Anglart, H.

1997-01-01

Deposition model for droplets in gas droplet two-phase flow in rod bundle is developed in this work using the Lagrangian method. The model is evaluated in a 9-rod bundle geometry. The deposition coefficient in the bundle geometry are compared with that in round tube. The influences of the droplet size and gas mass flow rate on deposition coefficient are investigated. Furthermore, the droplet motion is studied in more detail by dividing the bundle channel into sub-channels. The results show that the overall deposition coefficient in the bundle geometry is close to that in the round tube with the diameter equal to the bundle hydraulic diameter. The calculated deposition coefficient is found to be higher for higher gas mass flux and smaller droplets. The study in the sub-channels show that the ratio between the local deposition coefficient for a sub-channel and the averaged value for the whole bundle is close to a constant value, deviations from the mean value for all the calculated cases being within the range of ±13%. (author)

Splash Dynamics of Falling Surfactant-Laden Droplets

Science.gov (United States)

Sulaiman, Nur; Buitrago, Lewis; Pereyra, Eduardo

2017-11-01

Splashing dynamics is a common issue in oil and gas separation technology. In this study, droplet impact of various surfactant concentrations onto solid and liquid surfaces is studied experimentally using a high-speed imaging analysis. Although this area has been widely studied in the past, there is still not a good understanding of the role of surfactant over droplet impact and characterization of resulting splash dynamics. The experiments are conducted using tap water laden with anionic surfactant. The effects of system parameters on a single droplet impingement such as surfactant concentration (no surfactant, below, at and above critical micelle concentration), parent drop diameter (2-5mm), impact velocity and type of impact surface (thin and deep pool) are investigated. Image analysis technique is shown to be an effective technique for identification of coalescence to splashing transition. In addition, daughter droplets size distributions are analyzed qualitatively in the events of splashing. As expected, it is observed that the formation of secondary droplets is affected by the surfactant concentration. A summary of findings will be discussed.

Investigation of vortex clouds and droplet sizes in heated water spray patterns generated by axisymmetric full cone nozzles.

Science.gov (United States)

Naz, M Y; Sulaiman, S A; Ariwahjoedi, B; Ku Shaari, Ku Zilati

2013-01-01

The hot water sprays are an important part of many industrial processes, where the detailed knowledge of physical phenomena involved in jet transportation, interaction, secondary breakup, evaporation, and coalescence of droplets is important to reach more efficient processes. The objective of the work was to study the water spray jet breakup dynamics, vortex cloud formation, and droplet size distribution under varying temperature and load pressure. Using a high speed camera, the spray patterns generated by axisymmetric full cone nozzles were visualized as a function water temperature and load pressure. The image analysis confirmed that the spray cone angle and width do not vary significantly with increasing Reynolds and Weber numbers at early injection phases leading to increased macroscopic spray propagation. The formation and decay of semitorus like vortex clouds were also noticed in spray structures generated at near water boiling point temperature. For the nozzle with smallest orifice diameter (1.19 mm), these vortex clouds were very clear at 90°C heating temperature and 1 bar water load pressure. In addition, the sauter mean diameter (SMD) of the spray droplets was also measured by using Phase Doppler Anemometry (PDA) at different locations downstream of the nozzle exit. It was noticed that SMD varies slightly w.r.t. position when measured at room temperature whereas at higher temperature values, it became almost constant at distance of 55 mm downstream of the nozzle exit.

Investigation of Vortex Clouds and Droplet Sizes in Heated Water Spray Patterns Generated by Axisymmetric Full Cone Nozzles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Y. Naz

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The hot water sprays are an important part of many industrial processes, where the detailed knowledge of physical phenomena involved in jet transportation, interaction, secondary breakup, evaporation, and coalescence of droplets is important to reach more efficient processes. The objective of the work was to study the water spray jet breakup dynamics, vortex cloud formation, and droplet size distribution under varying temperature and load pressure. Using a high speed camera, the spray patterns generated by axisymmetric full cone nozzles were visualized as a function water temperature and load pressure. The image analysis confirmed that the spray cone angle and width do not vary significantly with increasing Reynolds and Weber numbers at early injection phases leading to increased macroscopic spray propagation. The formation and decay of semitorus like vortex clouds were also noticed in spray structures generated at near water boiling point temperature. For the nozzle with smallest orifice diameter (1.19 mm, these vortex clouds were very clear at 90°C heating temperature and 1 bar water load pressure. In addition, the sauter mean diameter (SMD of the spray droplets was also measured by using Phase Doppler Anemometry (PDA at different locations downstream of the nozzle exit. It was noticed that SMD varies slightly w.r.t. position when measured at room temperature whereas at higher temperature values, it became almost constant at distance of 55 mm downstream of the nozzle exit.

Effects of chemical dispersants on oil-brine interfacial tension and droplet formation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khelifa, A.; So, L.L.C.

2009-01-01

The dispersion of oil spilled in water is influenced by chemical dispersants via the modification of the interfacial properties of the oil, such as oil-brine interfacial tension (IFT). In this study, the physical properties and dispersion of oil were measured in order to determine the effects of chemical dispersants on IFT and oil viscosity and the effects on oil droplet formation. In theory, the maximum size of oil droplet that forms under turbulent mixing increases with IFT. Therefore, a reduction in IFT reduces the size distribution of oil droplets. This paper presented the results of an ongoing project aimed at providing quantitative understanding the influence that chemical dispersants have on the size distribution of oil droplets and oil dispersion. Findings showed that a valid approach is to separate the direct effects of chemical dispersants on oil properties, specifically oil-brine IFT and the effects of mixing on dispersion of chemically treated oil. Under constant mixing conditions, the reduction of the maximum oil droplet size that overcomes the breakage process is determined by the effects of chemical dispersant on oil properties. This correlates well with the dispersant-to-oil ratio (DOR) up to the critical micelle concentration (CMC). This good agreement can be attributed to the reduction of IFT with DOR. It was concluded that the reduction of IFT with dispersant concentration is an additional signature of oil composition on droplet formation, while mixing energy is an external parameter that is independent of oil properties. 17 refs., 3 tabs., 9 figs

Evaporation and discharge dynamics of highly charged multicomponent droplets generated by electrospray ionization.

Science.gov (United States)

Grimm, Ronald L; Beauchamp, J L

2010-01-28

We investigate the Rayleigh discharge and evaporation dynamics of highly charged two-component droplets consisting principally of methanol with 2-methoxyethanol, tert-butanol, or m-nitrobenzyl alcohol. A phase Doppler anemometer (PDA) characterizes droplets generated by electrospray ionization (ESI) according to size, velocity, and charge as they move through a uniform electric field within an ion mobility spectrometer (IMS). Repeated field reversals result in droplet "ping-pong" through the PDA. This generates individual droplet histories of solvent evaporation behavior and the dynamics of charge loss to progeny droplets during Rayleigh discharge events. On average, methanol droplets discharge at 127% their Rayleigh limit of charge, q(R), and release 25% of the net charge. Charge loss from methanol/2-methoxyethanol droplets behaves similarly to pure 2-methoxyethanol droplets which release approximately 28% of their net charge. Binary methanol droplets containing up to 50% tert-butanol discharge at a lower percent q(R) than pure methanol and release a greater fraction of their net charge. Mixed 99% methanol/1% m-nitrobenzyl alcohol droplets possess discharge characteristics similar to those of methanol. However, droplets of methanol containing 2% m-nitrobenzyl evaporate down to a fixed size and charge that remains constant with no observable discharges. Quasi-steady-state evaporation models accurately describe observed evaporation phenomena in which methanol/tert-butanol droplets evaporate at a rate similar to that of pure methanol and methanol/2-methoxyethanol droplets evaporate at a rate similar to that of 2-methoxyethanol. We compare these results to previous Rayleigh discharge experiments and discuss the implications for binary solvents in electrospray mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and field-induced droplet ionization mass spectrometry (FIDI-MS).

Numerical and experimental studies of droplet-gas flow

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Joesang, Aage Ingebret

2002-07-01

This thesis considers droplet-gas flow by the use of numerical methods and experimental verification. A commercial vane separator was studied both numerical and by experiment. In addition some efforts are put into the numerical analysis of cyclones. The experimental part contains detailed measurements of the flow field between a pair of vanes in a vane separator and droplet size measurements. LDA (Laser Doppler Anemometry) was used to measure the velocity in two dimensions and corresponding turbulence quantities. The results from the LDA measurements are considered to be of high quality and are compared to numerical results obtained from a CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) analysis. The simulation showed good agreement between the numerical and experimental results. Combinations of different turbulence models; the standard k-epsilon model and the Reynold Stress Mode, different schemes; first order and higher order scheme and different near wall treatment of the turbulence; the Law of the wall and the Two-Layer Zonal model were used in the simulations. The Reynold Stress Model together with a higher order scheme performed rather poorly. The recirculation in parts of the separator was overpredicted in this case. For the other cases the overall predictions are satisfactory. PDA (Phase Doppler Anemometry) measurements were used to study the changes in the droplet size distribution through the vane separator. The PDA measurements show that smaller droplets are found at the outlet than present at the inlet. In the literature there exists different mechanisms for explaining the re-entrainment and generation of new droplets. The re-entrainments mechanisms are divided into four groups where droplet-droplet interaction, droplet break-up, splashing of impinging droplet and re-entrainment from the film are defined as the groups of re-entrainment mechanisms. Models for these groups are found in the literature and these models are tested for re-entrainment using the operational

Negative/positive chemotaxis of a droplet: Dynamic response to a stimulant gas

Science.gov (United States)

Sakuta, Hiroki; Magome, Nobuyuki; Mori, Yoshihito; Yoshikawa, Kenichi

2016-05-01

We report here the repulsive/attractive motion of an oil droplet floating on an aqueous phase caused by the application of a stimulant gas. A cm-sized droplet of oleic acid is repelled by ammonia vapor. In contrast, a droplet of aniline on an aqueous phase moves toward hydrochloric acid as a stimulant. The mechanisms of these characteristic behaviors of oil droplets are discussed in terms of the spatial gradient of the interfacial tension caused by the stimulant gas.

Metabolite profiling of microfluidic cell culture conditions for droplet based screening

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Björk, Sara M.; Sjoström, Staffan L.; Svahn, Helene Andersson

2015-01-01

We investigate the impact of droplet culture conditions on cell metabolic state by determining key metabolite concentrations in S. cerevisiae cultures in different microfluidic droplet culture formats. Control of culture conditions is critical for single cell/clone screening in droplets......, such as directed evolution of yeast, as cell metabolic state directly affects production yields from cell factories. Here, we analyze glucose, pyruvate, ethanol, and glycerol, central metabolites in yeast glucose dissimilation to establish culture formats for screening of respiring as well as fermenting yeast...... limited cultures, whereas the metabolite profiles of cells cultured in the alternative wide tube droplet incubation format resemble those from aerobic culture. Furthermore, we demonstrate retained droplet stability and size in the new better oxygenated droplet incubation format....

Bioreactor droplets from liposome-stabilized all-aqueous emulsions

Science.gov (United States)

Dewey, Daniel C.; Strulson, Christopher A.; Cacace, David N.; Bevilacqua, Philip C.; Keating, Christine D.

2014-08-01

Artificial bioreactors are desirable for in vitro biochemical studies and as protocells. A key challenge is maintaining a favourable internal environment while allowing substrate entry and product departure. We show that semipermeable, size-controlled bioreactors with aqueous, macromolecularly crowded interiors can be assembled by liposome stabilization of an all-aqueous emulsion. Dextran-rich aqueous droplets are dispersed in a continuous polyethylene glycol (PEG)-rich aqueous phase, with coalescence inhibited by adsorbed ~130-nm diameter liposomes. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching and dynamic light scattering data indicate that the liposomes, which are PEGylated and negatively charged, remain intact at the interface for extended time. Inter-droplet repulsion provides electrostatic stabilization of the emulsion, with droplet coalescence prevented even for submonolayer interfacial coatings. RNA and DNA can enter and exit aqueous droplets by diffusion, with final concentrations dictated by partitioning. The capacity to serve as microscale bioreactors is established by demonstrating a ribozyme cleavage reaction within the liposome-coated droplets.

High-Energy Laser Interaction with Gases, Droplets, and Bulk Liquids.

Science.gov (United States)

Jarzembski, Maurice Anthony

Breakdown threshold intensities (I_ {rm TH}) were measured as functions of wavelengths and pressure for air, He, Ar, and Xe using a Nd:YAG pulsed laser. Multiphoton absorption dominates in the UV and cascade collision ionization dominates in the IR; however, both can be affected by other electron gain and loss processes. Presence of droplets lowers breakdown of gases due to field enhancements. Breakdown is initiated either in the droplet material or in the gas. At lambda = 0.532mum for a 50 μm dia. water droplet in He, Ar, and air for p pressure. For droplet -in-Xe, at p pressure. For droplet-in-Xe, at p 140 Torr, breakdown occurs outside the droplet and is dependent on gas pressure. Pressure dependence of breakdown was observed for 120mum dia. water droplets in Ar at p > 400 Torr. The required intensity for breakdown of droplet depends on I_{ rm TH} of bulk liquid and the effective field enhancement created by the droplet. The I _{rm TH} of droplet-in-air provides an upper limit to the propagation of a high energy laser beam in the atmosphere containing particles. By geometrical optics approach, a significant field enhancement located at the critical ring region, encircling the axis of the sphere in the forward direction at angle theta_{c}, was discovered where nonlinear processes can occur. This was confirmed experimentally and by Mie theory. Field enhancements calculated at the critical ring for water droplets of different sizes agree well with measurements. For a droplet of given size and real refractive index, the effective field enhancement and the volume over which it occurs are two important factors governing the occurrence of breakdown in droplets for both off resonance and on resonance conditions. Measurements of wavelength dependence of breakdown showed that in the UV, I_{rm TH} for droplets and bulk liquids were comparable and lower by few orders of magnitude from that of air. Transmittance and reflectance of bulk liquids in the UV change with

Cavitation-induced fragmentation of an acoustically-levitated droplet

Science.gov (United States)

Gonzalez Avila, Silvestre Roberto; Ohl, Claus-Dieter

2015-12-01

In this paper we investigate the initial sequence of events that lead to the fragmentation of a millimetre sized water droplets when interacting with a focused ns-laser pulse. The experimental results show complex processes that result from the reflection of an initial shock wave from plasma generation with the soft boundary of the levitating droplet; furthermore, when the reflected waves from the walls of the droplet refocus they leave behind a trail of microbubbles that later act as cavitation inception regions. Numerical simulations of a shock wave impacting and reflecting from a soft boundary are also reported; the simulated results show that the lowest pressure inside the droplet occurs at the equatorial plane. The results of the numerical model display good agreement with the experimental results both in time and in space.

Cavitation-induced fragmentation of an acoustically-levitated droplet

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Avila, Silvestre Roberto Gonzalez; Ohl, Claus-Dieter

2015-01-01

In this paper we investigate the initial sequence of events that lead to the fragmentation of a millimetre sized water droplets when interacting with a focused ns-laser pulse. The experimental results show complex processes that result from the reflection of an initial shock wave from plasma generation with the soft boundary of the levitating droplet; furthermore, when the reflected waves from the walls of the droplet refocus they leave behind a trail of microbubbles that later act as cavitation inception regions. Numerical simulations of a shock wave impacting and reflecting from a soft boundary are also reported; the simulated results show that the lowest pressure inside the droplet occurs at the equatorial plane. The results of the numerical model display good agreement with the experimental results both in time and in space. (paper)

Prediction of average droplet size in flowing immiscible polymer blends

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Fortelný, Ivan; Jůza, Josef

2017-01-01

Roč. 134, č. 35 (2017), s. 1-12, č. článku 45250. ISSN 0021-8995 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA14-17921S Institutional support: RVO:61389013 Keywords : coalescence * droplet breakup * phase structure evolution Subject RIV: CD - Macromolecular Chemistry OBOR OECD: Polymer science Impact factor: 1.860, year: 2016

Spatio-temporal droplet size statistics in developing spray of starchy solution

Science.gov (United States)

Naz, Muhammad Yasin; Sulaiman, Shaharin Anwar; Ariwahjoedi, Bambang

2015-07-01

In the given research, the spray jet breakup of a modified starch solution was studied as a function of jet injection time and nozzle orifice diameter. The starch-urea-borax solution was prepared and tested with three axisymmetric full cone nozzles at service temperature of 80°C and the injection pressure of 5 bar. It is worth mentioning that no jet breakup was seen below these temperature and pressure values. The imaging studies on the time based spray evolution revealed monotonic increase in both; spray cone angle and tip penetration with an increase in injection time form 0-300 mm. Hereinafter, both parameters exhibited constants value over injection time. Phase Doppler Anemometry (PDA) measurements of the droplet size revealed significant decrease in the Sauter Mean Diameter (SMD) along the spray centerline. However, a steady decrease in SMD was seen towards the spray boundary. For fixed injection time of 300 ms, the overall SMD was decreased from 112 to 71 µm at 60 mm downstream, from 102 to 64 µm at 100 mm downstream and from 85 to 61 µm at 140 mm downstream with an increase in orifice diameter from 1.19 to 1.59 mm.

Nanometer Characterization/Manipulation Facility

Data.gov (United States)

Federal Laboratory Consortium — FUNCTION: Characterizes the nanometer scale of biological, chemical, physical, electronic, and mechanical properties of surfaces and thin films using scanning probe...

Experimental analysis of shape deformation of evaporating droplet using Legendre polynomials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sanyal, Apratim [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012 (India); Basu, Saptarshi, E-mail: sbasu@mecheng.iisc.ernet.in [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012 (India); Kumar, Ranganathan [Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816 (United States)

2014-01-24

Experiments involving heating of liquid droplets which are acoustically levitated, reveal specific modes of oscillations. For a given radiation flux, certain fluid droplets undergo distortion leading to catastrophic bag type breakup. The voltage of the acoustic levitator has been kept constant to operate at a nominal acoustic pressure intensity, throughout the experiments. Thus the droplet shape instabilities are primarily a consequence of droplet heating through vapor pressure, surface tension and viscosity. A novel approach is used by employing Legendre polynomials for the mode shape approximation to describe the thermally induced instabilities. The two dominant Legendre modes essentially reflect (a) the droplet size reduction due to evaporation, and (b) the deformation around the equilibrium shape. Dissipation and inter-coupling of modal energy lead to stable droplet shape while accumulation of the same ultimately results in droplet breakup.

Experimental analysis of shape deformation of evaporating droplet using Legendre polynomials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanyal, Apratim; Basu, Saptarshi; Kumar, Ranganathan

2014-01-01

Experiments involving heating of liquid droplets which are acoustically levitated, reveal specific modes of oscillations. For a given radiation flux, certain fluid droplets undergo distortion leading to catastrophic bag type breakup. The voltage of the acoustic levitator has been kept constant to operate at a nominal acoustic pressure intensity, throughout the experiments. Thus the droplet shape instabilities are primarily a consequence of droplet heating through vapor pressure, surface tension and viscosity. A novel approach is used by employing Legendre polynomials for the mode shape approximation to describe the thermally induced instabilities. The two dominant Legendre modes essentially reflect (a) the droplet size reduction due to evaporation, and (b) the deformation around the equilibrium shape. Dissipation and inter-coupling of modal energy lead to stable droplet shape while accumulation of the same ultimately results in droplet breakup.

A theoretical study of the spheroidal droplet evaporation in forced convection

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Jie, E-mail: leejay1986@163.com; Zhang, Jian

2014-11-07

In many applications, the shape of a droplet may be assumed to be an oblate spheroid. A theoretical study is conducted on the evaporation of an oblate spheroidal droplet under forced convection conditions. Closed-form analytical expressions of the mass evaporation rate for an oblate spheroid are derived, in the regime of controlled mass-transfer and heat-transfer, respectively. The variation of droplet size during the evaporation process is presented in the regime of shrinking dynamic model. Comparing with the droplets having the same surface area, an increase in the aspect ratio enhances the mass evaporation rate and prolongs the burnout time. - Highlights: • Fully algebraic solutions for the spheroidal droplet evaporation rate is obtained. • We examine the effect of aspect ratio on the droplet evaporation. • We propose a calculation method of Nusselt number for spheroidal droplet.

A theoretical study of the spheroidal droplet evaporation in forced convection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Jie; Zhang, Jian

2014-01-01

In many applications, the shape of a droplet may be assumed to be an oblate spheroid. A theoretical study is conducted on the evaporation of an oblate spheroidal droplet under forced convection conditions. Closed-form analytical expressions of the mass evaporation rate for an oblate spheroid are derived, in the regime of controlled mass-transfer and heat-transfer, respectively. The variation of droplet size during the evaporation process is presented in the regime of shrinking dynamic model. Comparing with the droplets having the same surface area, an increase in the aspect ratio enhances the mass evaporation rate and prolongs the burnout time. - Highlights: • Fully algebraic solutions for the spheroidal droplet evaporation rate is obtained. • We examine the effect of aspect ratio on the droplet evaporation. • We propose a calculation method of Nusselt number for spheroidal droplet

Ultrahigh-power supercapacitors based on highly conductive graphene nanosheet/nanometer-sized carbide-derived carbon frameworks.

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Pengtao; Zhang, Xuesha; Hou, Meiling; Liu, Yanyan; Liu, Ting; Liu, Kang; Zhang, Ruijun

2018-06-22

In order to develop energy storage devices with high power performance, electrodes should hold well-defined pathways for efficient ionic and electronic transport. Herein, we demonstrate a highly conductive graphene nanosheet/nanometer-sized carbide-derived carbon framework (hcGNS/nCDC). In this architecture, nCDC possesses short transport paths for electrolyte ions, thus ensuring the rapid ions transportation. The excellent electrical conductivity of hcGNS can reduce the electrode internal resistance for the supercapacitor and thus endows the hcGNS/nCDC composite electrodes with excellent electronic transportation performance. Electrochemical measurements show that the cyclic voltammogram of hcGNS/nCDC can maintain a rectangular-like shape with the increase of the scan rate from 5 mV s -1 to 20 V s -1 , and the specific capacitance retention is up to 51% even at a high scan rate of 20 V s -1 , suggesting ultrahigh power performance, which, to the best of our knowledge, is among the best power performances reported so far for the carbon materials. Furthermore, the hcGNS/nCDC composite also shows an excellent cycling stability (no drop in its capacitance occurs even after 10000 cycles). This work demonstrates the advantage in the ultrahigh power performance for the framework having both short transport pathways for electrolyte ions and high electrical conductivity.

Ultrahigh-power supercapacitors based on highly conductive graphene nanosheet/nanometer-sized carbide-derived carbon frameworks

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Pengtao; Zhang, Xuesha; Hou, Meiling; Liu, Yanyan; Liu, Ting; Liu, Kang; Zhang, Ruijun

2018-06-01

In order to develop energy storage devices with high power performance, electrodes should hold well-defined pathways for efficient ionic and electronic transport. Herein, we demonstrate a highly conductive graphene nanosheet/nanometer-sized carbide-derived carbon framework (hcGNS/nCDC). In this architecture, nCDC possesses short transport paths for electrolyte ions, thus ensuring the rapid ions transportation. The excellent electrical conductivity of hcGNS can reduce the electrode internal resistance for the supercapacitor and thus endows the hcGNS/nCDC composite electrodes with excellent electronic transportation performance. Electrochemical measurements show that the cyclic voltammogram of hcGNS/nCDC can maintain a rectangular-like shape with the increase of the scan rate from 5 mV s‑1 to 20 V s‑1, and the specific capacitance retention is up to 51% even at a high scan rate of 20 V s‑1, suggesting ultrahigh power performance, which, to the best of our knowledge, is among the best power performances reported so far for the carbon materials. Furthermore, the hcGNS/nCDC composite also shows an excellent cycling stability (no drop in its capacitance occurs even after 10000 cycles). This work demonstrates the advantage in the ultrahigh power performance for the framework having both short transport pathways for electrolyte ions and high electrical conductivity.

A Comprehensive Model of Electric-Field-Enhanced Jumping-Droplet Condensation on Superhydrophobic Surfaces.

Science.gov (United States)

Birbarah, Patrick; Li, Zhaoer; Pauls, Alexander; Miljkovic, Nenad

2015-07-21

Superhydrophobic micro/nanostructured surfaces for dropwise condensation have recently received significant attention due to their potential to enhance heat transfer performance by shedding positively charged water droplets via coalescence-induced droplet jumping at length scales below the capillary length and allowing the use of external electric fields to enhance droplet removal and heat transfer, in what has been termed electric-field-enhanced (EFE) jumping-droplet condensation. However, achieving optimal EFE conditions for enhanced heat transfer requires capturing the details of transport processes that is currently lacking. While a comprehensive model has been developed for condensation on micro/nanostructured surfaces, it cannot be applied for EFE condensation due to the dynamic droplet-vapor-electric field interactions. In this work, we developed a comprehensive physical model for EFE condensation on superhydrophobic surfaces by incorporating individual droplet motion, electrode geometry, jumping frequency, field strength, and condensate vapor-flow dynamics. As a first step toward our model, we simulated jumping droplet motion with no external electric field and validated our theoretical droplet trajectories to experimentally obtained trajectories, showing excellent temporal and spatial agreement. We then incorporated the external electric field into our model and considered the effects of jumping droplet size, electrode size and geometry, condensation heat flux, and droplet jumping direction. Our model suggests that smaller jumping droplet sizes and condensation heat fluxes require less work input to be removed by the external fields. Furthermore, the results suggest that EFE electrodes can be optimized such that the work input is minimized depending on the condensation heat flux. To analyze overall efficiency, we defined an incremental coefficient of performance and showed that it is very high (∼10(6)) for EFE condensation. We finally proposed mechanisms

Droplets, Bubbles and Ultrasound Interactions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Shpak, O.; Verweij, M.; de Jong, N.; Versluis, Michel; Escoffre, J.M.; Bouakaz, A.

2016-01-01

The interaction of droplets and bubbles with ultrasound has been studied extensively in the last 25 years. Microbubbles are broadly used in diagnostic and therapeutic medical applications, for instance, as ultrasound contrast agents. They have a similar size as red blood cells, and thus are able to

Crystallization kinetics of Ga metallic nano-droplets under As flux

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bietti, S; Somaschini, C; Sanguinetti, S

2013-01-01

We present an experimental investigation of the crystallization dynamics of Ga nano-droplets under As flux. The transformation of the metallic Ga contained in the droplets into a GaAs nano-island proceeds by increasing the size of a tiny ring of GaAs which is formed just after the Ga deposition at the rim of a droplet. The GaAs crystallization rate depends linearly on the liquid–solid interface area. The maximum growth rate is set by the As flux impinging on the droplet, thus showing an efficient As incorporation and transport despite the predicted low solubility of the As in metallic Ga at the crystallization temperatures. (paper)

Fundamentals of magnet-actuated droplet manipulation on an open hydrophobic surface†

Science.gov (United States)

Long, Zhicheng; Shetty, Abhishek M.; Solomon, Michael J.; Larson, Ronald G.

2010-01-01

We systematically investigate droplet movement, coalescence, and splitting on an open hydrophobic surface. These processes are actuated by magnetic beads internalized in an oil-coated aqueous droplet using an external magnet. Results are organized into an ‘operating diagram’ that describes regions of droplet stable motion, breakage, and release from the magnet. The results are explained theoretically with a simple model that balances magnetic, friction, and capillary-induced drag forces and includes the effects of particle type, droplet size, surrounding oil layer, surface tension, and viscosity. Finally, we discuss the implications of the results for the design of magnet-actuated droplet systems for applications such as nucleic acid purification, immunoassay and drug delivery. PMID:19458864

Evaporation of Liquid Droplet in Nano and Micro Scales from Statistical Rate Theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Duan, Fei; He, Bin; Wei, Tao

2015-04-01

The statistical rate theory (SRT) is applied to predict the average evaporation flux of liquid droplet after the approach is validated in the sessile droplet experiments of the water and heavy water. The steady-state experiments show a temperature discontinuity at the evaporating interface. The average evaporation flux is evaluated by individually changing the measurement at a liquid-vapor interface, including the interfacial liquid temperature, the interfacial vapor temperature, the vapor-phase pressure, and the droplet size. The parameter study shows that a higher temperature jump would reduce the average evaporation flux. The average evaporation flux can significantly be influenced by the interfacial liquid temperature and the vapor-phase pressure. The variation can switch the evaporation into condensation. The evaporation flux is found to remain relative constant if the droplet is larger than a micro scale, while the smaller diameters in nano scale can produce a much higher evaporation flux. In addition, a smaller diameter of droplets with the same liquid volume has a larger surface area. It is suggested that the evaporation rate increases dramatically as the droplet shrinks into nano size.

Rayleigh Instability-Assisted Satellite Droplets Elimination in Inkjet Printing.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Qiang; Li, Huizeng; Li, Mingzhu; Li, Yanan; Chen, Shuoran; Bao, Bin; Song, Yanlin

2017-11-29

Elimination of satellite droplets in inkjet printing has long been desired for high-resolution and precision printing of functional materials and tissues. Generally, the strategy to suppress satellite droplets is to control ink properties, such as viscosity or surface tension, to assist ink filaments in retracting into one drop. However, this strategy brings new restrictions to the ink, such as ink viscosity, surface tension, and concentration. Here, we report an alternative strategy that the satellite droplets are eliminated by enhancing Rayleigh instability of filament at the break point to accelerate pinch-off of the droplet from the nozzle. A superhydrophobic and ultralow adhesive nozzle with cone morphology exhibits the capability to eliminate satellite droplets by cutting the ink filament at breakup point effectively. As a result, the nozzles with different sizes (10-80 μm) are able to print more inks (1 printing electronics and biotechnologies.

Drosophila TRF2 and TAF9 regulate lipid droplet size and phospholipid fatty acid composition.

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Wei; Lam, Sin Man; Xin, Jingxue; Yang, Xiao; Liu, Zhonghua; Liu, Yuan; Wang, Yong; Shui, Guanghou; Huang, Xun

2017-03-01

The general transcription factor TBP (TATA-box binding protein) and its associated factors (TAFs) together form the TFIID complex, which directs transcription initiation. Through RNAi and mutant analysis, we identified a specific TBP family protein, TRF2, and a set of TAFs that regulate lipid droplet (LD) size in the Drosophila larval fat body. Among the three Drosophila TBP genes, trf2, tbp and trf1, only loss of function of trf2 results in increased LD size. Moreover, TRF2 and TAF9 regulate fatty acid composition of several classes of phospholipids. Through RNA profiling, we found that TRF2 and TAF9 affects the transcription of a common set of genes, including peroxisomal fatty acid β-oxidation-related genes that affect phospholipid fatty acid composition. We also found that knockdown of several TRF2 and TAF9 target genes results in large LDs, a phenotype which is similar to that of trf2 mutants. Together, these findings provide new insights into the specific role of the general transcription machinery in lipid homeostasis.

Frequency-dependent transient response of an oscillating electrically actuated droplet

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dash, S; Kumari, N; Garimella, S V

2012-01-01

The transient response of a millimeter-sized sessile droplet under electrical actuation is experimentally investigated. Under dc actuation, the droplet spreading rate increases as the applied voltage is increased due to the higher electrical forces induced. At sufficiently high dc voltages, competition between the electrical actuation force, droplet inertia, the retarding surface tension force and contact line friction leads to droplet oscillation. The timescale for the droplet to attain its maximum wetted diameter during step actuation is analyzed. Systematic experiments are conducted over a frequency range of 5–200 Hz and actuation voltages of 40–80 V rms to determine the dependence of droplet oscillation on these parameters. The response of the droplet to different actuation frequencies and voltages is determined in terms of its contact angle and contact radius variation. The frequency of the driving force (equal to twice the frequency of the applied electrical signal) determines the mode of oscillation of the droplet which, together with its resonance characteristics, governs whether the droplet contact angle and contact radius vary in phase or out of phase with each other. In addition to the primary frequency response at the electrical forcing frequency, the droplet oscillation exhibits sub-harmonic oscillation at half of the forcing frequency that is attributed to the parametric nature of the electrical force acting on the triple contact line of the droplet. (paper)

Mechanism and simulation of droplet coalescence in molten steel

Science.gov (United States)

Ni, Bing; Zhang, Tao; Ni, Hai-qi; Luo, Zhi-guo

2017-11-01

Droplet coalescence in liquid steel was carefully investigated through observations of the distribution pattern of inclusions in solidified steel samples. The process of droplet coalescence was slow, and the critical Weber number ( We) was used to evaluate the coalescence or separation of droplets. The relationship between the collision parameter and the critical We indicated whether slow coalescence or bouncing of droplets occurred. The critical We was 5.5, which means that the droplets gradually coalesce when We ≤ 5.5, whereas they bounce when We > 5.5. For the carbonate wire feeding into liquid steel, a mathematical model implementing a combined computational fluid dynamics (CFD)-discrete element method (DEM) approach was developed to simulate the movement and coalescence of variably sized droplets in a bottom-argon-blowing ladle. In the CFD model, the flow field was solved on the premise that the fluid was a continuous medium. Meanwhile, the droplets were dispersed in the DEM model, and the coalescence criterion of the particles was added to simulate the collision- coalescence process of the particles. The numerical simulation results and observations of inclusion coalescence in steel samples are consistent.

Statistical steady states in turbulent droplet condensation

Science.gov (United States)

Bec, Jeremie; Krstulovic, Giorgio; Siewert, Christoph

2017-11-01

We investigate the general problem of turbulent condensation. Using direct numerical simulations we show that the fluctuations of the supersaturation field offer different conditions for the growth of droplets which evolve in time due to turbulent transport and mixing. This leads to propose a Lagrangian stochastic model consisting of a set of integro-differential equations for the joint evolution of the squared radius and the supersaturation along droplet trajectories. The model has two parameters fixed by the total amount of water and the thermodynamic properties, as well as the Lagrangian integral timescale of the turbulent supersaturation. The model reproduces very well the droplet size distributions obtained from direct numerical simulations and their time evolution. A noticeable result is that, after a stage where the squared radius simply diffuses, the system converges exponentially fast to a statistical steady state independent of the initial conditions. The main mechanism involved in this convergence is a loss of memory induced by a significant number of droplets undergoing a complete evaporation before growing again. The statistical steady state is characterised by an exponential tail in the droplet mass distribution.

Assembly of silver nanowire ring induced by liquid droplet

Science.gov (United States)

Seong, Baekhoon; Park, Hyun Sung; Chae, Ilkyeong; Lee, Hyungdong; Wang, Xiaofeng; Jang, Hyung-Seok; Jung, Jaehyuck; Lee, Changgu; Lin, Liwei; Byun, Doyoung

2017-11-01

Several forces in the liquid droplet drive the nanomaterials to naturally form an assembled structure. During evaporation of a liquid droplet, nanomaterials can move to the rim of the droplet by convective flow and capillary flow, due to the difference in temperature between the top and contact line of the droplet. Here, we demonstrate a new, simple and scalable technology for the fabrication of ring-shaped Ag NWs by a spraying method. We experimentally identify the compressive force of the droplet driven by surface tension as the key mechanism for the self-assembly of ring structures. We investigated the progress of ring shape formation of Ag NWs according to the droplet size with theoretically calculated optimal conditions. As such, this self-assembly technique of making ring-shaped structures from Ag NWs could be applied to other nanomaterials. This work was supported by the New & Renewable Energy R&D program of the Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning (KETEP) Grant funded by the Korea government Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. (No. 20163010071630).

Acoustic droplet vaporization of vascular droplets in gas embolotherapy

Science.gov (United States)

Bull, Joseph

2016-11-01

This work is primarily motivated by a developmental gas embolotherapy technique for cancer treatment. In this methodology, infarction of tumors is induced by selectively formed vascular gas bubbles that arise from the acoustic vaporization of vascular droplets. Additionally, micro- or nano-droplets may be used as vehicles for localized drug delivery, with or without flow occlusion. In this talk, we examine the dynamics of acoustic droplet vaporization through experiments and theoretical/computational fluid mechanics models, and investigate the bioeffects of acoustic droplet vaporization on endothelial cells and in vivo. Functionalized droplets that are targeted to tumor vasculature are examined. The influence of fluid mechanical and acoustic parameters, as well as droplet functionalization, is explored. This work was supported by NIH Grant R01EB006476.

Glass ceramic ZERODUR enabling nanometer precision

Science.gov (United States)

Jedamzik, Ralf; Kunisch, Clemens; Nieder, Johannes; Westerhoff, Thomas

2014-03-01

The IC Lithography roadmap foresees manufacturing of devices with critical dimension of digit nanometer asking for nanometer positioning accuracy requiring sub nanometer position measurement accuracy. The glass ceramic ZERODUR® is a well-established material in critical components of microlithography wafer stepper and offered with an extremely low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), the tightest tolerance available on market. SCHOTT is continuously improving manufacturing processes and it's method to measure and characterize the CTE behavior of ZERODUR® to full fill the ever tighter CTE specification for wafer stepper components. In this paper we present the ZERODUR® Lithography Roadmap on the CTE metrology and tolerance. Additionally, simulation calculations based on a physical model are presented predicting the long term CTE behavior of ZERODUR® components to optimize dimensional stability of precision positioning devices. CTE data of several low thermal expansion materials are compared regarding their temperature dependence between - 50°C and + 100°C. ZERODUR® TAILORED 22°C is full filling the tight CTE tolerance of +/- 10 ppb / K within the broadest temperature interval compared to all other materials of this investigation. The data presented in this paper explicitly demonstrates the capability of ZERODUR® to enable the nanometer precision required for future generation of lithography equipment and processes.

Enhancing physicochemical properties of emulsions by heteroaggregation of oppositely charged lactoferrin coated lutein droplets and whey protein isolate coated DHA droplets.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Xin; Wang, Xu; Xu, Duoxia; Cao, Yanping; Wang, Shaojia; Wang, Bei; Sun, Baoguo; Yuan, Fang; Gao, Yanxiang

2018-01-15

The formation and physicochemical stability of mixed functional components (lutein & DHA) emulsions through heteroaggregation were studied. It was formed by controlled heteroaggregation of oppositely charged lutein and DHA droplets coated by cationic lactoferrin (LF) and anionic whey protein isolate (WPI), respectively. Heteroaggregation was induced by mixing the oppositely charged LF-lutein and WPI-DHA emulsions together at pH 6.0. Droplet size, zeta-potential, transmission-physical stability, microrheological behavior and microstructure of the heteroaggregates formed were measured as a function of LF-lutein to WPI-DHA droplet ratio. Lutein degradation and DHA oxidation by measurement of lipid hydroperoxides and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances were determined. Upon mixing the two types of bioactive compounds droplets together, it was found that the largest aggregates and highest physical stability occurred at a droplet ratio of 40% LF-lutein droplets to 60% WPI-DHA droplets. Heteroaggregates formation altered the microrheological properties of the mixed emulsions mainly by the special network structure of the droplets. When LF-coated lutein droplets ratios were more than 30% and less than 60%, the mixed emulsions exhibited distinct decreases in the Mean Square Displacement, which indicated that their limited scope of Brownian motion and stable structure. Mixed emulsions with LF-lutein/WPI-DHA droplets ratio of 4:6 exhibited Macroscopic Viscosity Index with 13 times and Elasticity Index with 3 times of magnitudes higher than the individual emulsions from which they were prepared. Compared with the WPI-DHA emulsion or LF-lutein emulsion, the oxidative stability of the heteroaggregate of LF-lutein/WPI-DHA emulsions was improved. Heteroaggregates formed by oppositely charged bioactive compounds droplets may be useful for creating specific food structures that lead to desirable physicochemical properties, such as microrheological property, physical and chemical

Spraying mode effect on droplet formation and ion chemistry in electrosprays.

Science.gov (United States)

Nemes, Peter; Marginean, Ioan; Vertes, Akos

2007-04-15

Depending on the spraying conditions and fluid properties, a variety of electrospray regimes exists. Here we explore the changes in ion production that accompany the transitions among the three axial spraying modes, the burst mode, the pulsating Taylor cone mode, and the cone-jet mode. Spray current oscillation and phase Doppler anemometry measurements, fast imaging of the electrified meniscus, and mass spectrometry are utilized to study the formation, size, velocity, and chemical composition of droplets produced in the three modes. High-speed images indicate that the primary droplets are produced by varicose waves and lateral kink instabilities on the liquid jet emerging from the Taylor cone, whereas secondary droplets are formed by fission. Dramatic changes in the droplet size distributions result from the various production and breakup mechanisms observed at different emitter voltages and liquid flow rates. We demonstrate that droplet fission can be facilitated by space charge effects along the liquid jet and in the plume. Compared to the other two regimes, a significantly enhanced signal-to-noise ratio, a lower degree of analyte oxidation, and milder fragmentation are observed for the cone-jet mode.

Broadening of cloud droplet spectra through turbulent entrainment and eddy hopping

Science.gov (United States)

Abade, Gustavo; Grabowski, Wojciech; Pawlowska, Hanna

2017-11-01

This work discusses the effect of cloud turbulence and turbulent entrainment on the evolution of the cloud droplet-size spectrum. We simulate an ensemble of idealized turbulent cloud parcels that are subject to entrainment events, modeled as a random Poisson process. Entrainment events, subsequent turbulent mixing inside the parcel, supersaturation fluctuations, and the resulting stochastic droplet growth by condensation are simulated using a Monte Carlo scheme. Quantities characterizing the turbulence intensity, entrainment rate and the mean fraction of environmental air entrained in an event are specified as external parameters. Cloud microphysics is described by applying Lagrangian particles, the so-called superdroplets. They are either unactivated cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) or cloud droplets that form from activated CCN. The model accounts for the transport of environmental CCN into the cloud by the entraining eddies at the cloud edge. Turbulent mixing of the entrained dry air with cloudy air is described using a linear model. We show that turbulence plays an important role in aiding entrained CCN to activate, providing a source of small cloud droplets and thus broadening the droplet size distribution. Further simulation results will be reported at the meeting.

Printing microstructures in a polymer matrix using a ferrofluid droplet

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdel Fattah, Abdel Rahman; Ghosh, Suvojit; Puri, Ishwar K.

2016-01-01

We print complex curvilinear microstructures in an elastomer matrix using a ferrofluid droplet as the print head. A magnetic field moves the droplet along a prescribed path in liquid polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). The droplet sheds magnetic nanoparticle (MNP) clusters in its wake, forming printed features. The PDMS is subsequently heated so that it crosslinks, which preserves the printed features in the elastomer matrix. The competition between magnetic and drag forces experienced by the ferrofluid droplet and its trailing MNPs highlight design criteria for successful printing, which are experimentally confirmed. The method promises new applications, such as flexible 3D circuitry. - Highlights: • Magnetically guided miscible ferrofluid droplets print 3D patterns in a polymer. • Printing mechanism depends on the dynamics between the fluid and magnetic forces. • Droplet size influences the width of the printed trail. • The Colloidal distribution of the ferrofluid is important for pattern integrity. • Particle trajectories and trails are simulated and validated through experiments.

Printing microstructures in a polymer matrix using a ferrofluid droplet

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abdel Fattah, Abdel Rahman [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Hamilton, Ontario (Canada); Ghosh, Suvojit [Department of Engineering Physics, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario (Canada); Puri, Ishwar K. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Hamilton, Ontario (Canada); Department of Engineering Physics, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario (Canada)

2016-03-01

We print complex curvilinear microstructures in an elastomer matrix using a ferrofluid droplet as the print head. A magnetic field moves the droplet along a prescribed path in liquid polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). The droplet sheds magnetic nanoparticle (MNP) clusters in its wake, forming printed features. The PDMS is subsequently heated so that it crosslinks, which preserves the printed features in the elastomer matrix. The competition between magnetic and drag forces experienced by the ferrofluid droplet and its trailing MNPs highlight design criteria for successful printing, which are experimentally confirmed. The method promises new applications, such as flexible 3D circuitry. - Highlights: • Magnetically guided miscible ferrofluid droplets print 3D patterns in a polymer. • Printing mechanism depends on the dynamics between the fluid and magnetic forces. • Droplet size influences the width of the printed trail. • The Colloidal distribution of the ferrofluid is important for pattern integrity. • Particle trajectories and trails are simulated and validated through experiments.

Transient heating and evaporation of moving mono-component liquid fuel droplets

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Yin, Chungen

2016-01-01

of which the flow and energy transport equations are numerically solved using the finite volume method. The computer code for the model is developed in a generic 3D framework and verified in different ways (e.g., by comparison against analytical solutions for simplified cases, and against experimental......This paper presents a complete description of a model for transient heating and evaporation of moving mono-component liquid fuel droplets. The model mainly consists of gas phase heat and mass transfer analysis, liquid phase analysis, and droplet dynamics analysis, which address the interaction...... between the moving droplets and free-stream flow, the flow and heat and mass transfer within the droplets, and the droplet dynamics and size, respectively. For the liquid phase analysis, the droplets are discretized into a number of control volumes along the radial, polar and azimuthal directions, on each...

Fluid mechanics of additive manufacturing of metal objects by accretion of droplets - a survey

Science.gov (United States)

Tesař, Václav

2016-03-01

Paper presents a survey of principles of additive manufacturing of metal objects by accretion of molten metal droplets, focusing on fluid-mechanical problems that deserve being investigated. The main problem is slowness of manufacturing due to necessarily small size of added droplets. Increase of droplet repetition rate calls for basic research of the phenomena that take place inside and around the droplets: ballistics of their flight, internal flowfield with heat and mass transfer, oscillation of surfaces, and the ways to elimination of satellite droplets.

Why droplet dimension can be larger than, equal to, or smaller than the nanowire dimension

Science.gov (United States)

Mohammad, S. Noor

2009-11-01

Droplets play central roles in the nanowire (NW) growth by vapor phase mechanisms. These mechanisms include vapor-liquid-solid (VLS), vapor-solid-solid or vapor-solid (VSS), vapor-quasisolid-solid or vapor-quasiliquid-solid (VQS), oxide-assisted growth (OAG), and self-catalytic growth (SCG) mechanisms. Fundamentals of the shape, size, characteristics, and dynamics of droplets and the impacts of them on the NW growth, have been studied. The influence of growth techniques, growth parameters (e.g., growth temperature, partial pressure, gas flow rates, etc.), thermodynamic conditions, surface and interface energy, molar volume, chemical potentials, etc. have been considered on the shapes and sizes of droplets. A model has been presented to explain why droplets can be larger than, equal to, or smaller than the associated NWs. Various growth techniques have been analyzed to understand defects created in NWs. Photoluminescence characteristics have been presented to quantify the roles of droplets in the creation of NW defects. The study highlights the importance of the purity of the droplet material. It attests to the superiority of the SCG mechanism, and clarifies the differences between the VSS, VQS, VLS, and SCG mechanisms. It explains why droplets produced by some mechanisms are visible but droplets produced by some other mechanisms are not visible. It elucidates the formation mechanisms of very large and very small droplets, and discusses the ground rules for droplets creating necked NWs. It puts forth reasons to demonstrate that very large droplets may not behave as droplets.

Droplet deposition above a quench front during reflood after a large break LOCA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, R.

1982-01-01

Droplet deposition or migration towards the wall in a dispersed flow has been the subject of many investigations due to its industrial applications such as combustion of sprays of liquid fuel, evaporators, spray cooling, nuclear reactors, etc. Dispersed flow is characterized by high void and hence low droplet concentration and the theoretical study of droplet deposition is the treatment of a single droplet trajectory in the dispersed. As the droplet is travelling towards the wall, whether it will eventually be deposited on the wall or not, will be determined by the competing forces acting on it and by the boundary layer it is traversing through towards the wall. The mechanism of droplet deposition will be examined. The prediction of the boundary layer thickness will take into account the droplet size and density difference between the fluid and the droplet. Given the condition above the quench front, the minimum lateral velocity required for droplet deposition could be determined as a function of droplet diameter

Response of Superheated Droplet Detector (SDD) and Bubble Detector (BD) to interrupted irradiations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mondal, Prasanna Kumar, E-mail: prasanna_ind_82@yahoo.com; Sarkar, Rupa, E-mail: sarkar_rupa2003@yahoo.com; Chatterjee, Barun Kumar, E-mail: barun_k_chatterjee@yahoo.com

2017-06-11

Superheated droplet detectors (SDD) and bubble detectors (BD) are suspensions of micron-sized superheated liquid droplets in inert medium. The metastable droplets can vaporise upon interaction with ionising radiation generating visible bubbles. In this work, we investigated the response of SDD and BD to interrupted neutron irradiations. We observed that the droplet vaporisation rates for SDD and BD are different in nature. The unusual increase in droplet vaporisation rate observed when the SDD is exposed to neutrons after few minutes of radiation-off period is absent for BD. - Highlights: • Superheated droplet detectors (SDD) and bubble detectors (BD) are suspensions of superheated liquid droplets in inert medium. • The bubble nucleation in superheated droplets can be induced by ionising radiation. • The droplet vaporisation rate for SDD is non-monotonic when it is irradiated periodically to neutrons. • For BD the droplet vaporisation rate decrease monotonically when it is irradiated periodically to neutrons.

An interfacial mechanism for cloud droplet formation on organic aerosols.

Science.gov (United States)

Ruehl, Christopher R; Davies, James F; Wilson, Kevin R

2016-03-25

Accurate predictions of aerosol/cloud interactions require simple, physically accurate parameterizations of the cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) activity of aerosols. Current models assume that organic aerosol species contribute to CCN activity by lowering water activity. We measured droplet diameters at the point of CCN activation for particles composed of dicarboxylic acids or secondary organic aerosol and ammonium sulfate. Droplet activation diameters were 40 to 60% larger than predicted if the organic was assumed to be dissolved within the bulk droplet, suggesting that a new mechanism is needed to explain cloud droplet formation. A compressed film model explains how surface tension depression by interfacial organic molecules can alter the relationship between water vapor supersaturation and droplet size (i.e., the Köhler curve), leading to the larger diameters observed at activation. Copyright © 2016, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Pseudobinary eutectics in Cu–Ag–Ge alloy droplets under containerless condition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ruan, Y.; Wang, X.J.; Lu, X.Y.

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► Two pseudobinary eutectics form in Cu–Ag–Ge alloy. ► It is influenced by thermodynamic and kinetic factors of the alloy in the drop tube. ► As droplet size reduces, anomalous → lamellar → anomalous transition happens in (Ag + ζ). ► (Ag + ε 2 ) is a product of both peri-eutectic and pseudobinary eutectic transitions. -- Abstract: Pseudobinary eutectic generated by pseudobinary eutectic transition or peri-eutectic transition is a crucial structure in ternary alloy systems. Its formation mechanism strongly influences mechanical properties of these metallic materials. However, it was customarily neglected. In this paper, two pseudobinary eutectics, i.e. (Ag + ζ) and (Ag + ε 2 ), were investigated during the rapid solidification of Cu–Ag–Ge ternary alloy in a 3 m-drop tube. The sharp temperature variations and dramatic kinetic activities of the falling alloy droplets before solidification cause special microstructural characteristics. (Ag) dendrite is the heterogeneous nucleus for anomalous (Ag + ζ) pseudobinary eutectic in large droplets. Lamellar (Ag + ζ) pseudobinary eutectic grain forms independently on condition that primary (Ag) dendrite cannot form and its eutectic morphology becomes anomalous with the decrease of droplet size. Nanoscaled (Ag + ε 2 ) pseudobinary eutectic generating at the last stage of solidification is the product of both peri-eutectic and pseudobinary eutectic transitions. It distributes in the gaps of (Ag + ζ) pseudobinary eutectic grains and its morphology remains lamellar regardless of droplet size

Sensitive SERS detection at the single-particle level based on nanometer-separated mushroom-shaped plasmonic dimers

Science.gov (United States)

Xiang, Quan; Li, Zhiqin; Zheng, Mengjie; Liu, Qing; Chen, Yiqin; Yang, Lan; Jiang, Tian; Duan, Huigao

2018-03-01

Elevated metallic nanostructures with nanogaps (film deposition. By controlling the initial size of nanogaps in resist structures and the following deposited film thickness, metallic nanogaps could be tuned at the sub-10 nm scale with single-digit nanometer precision. Both experimental and simulated results revealed that gold dimer on mushroom-shaped pillars have the capability to achieve higher SERS enhancement factor comparing to those plasmonic dimers on cylindrical pillars or on a common SiO2/Si substrate, implying that the nanometer-gapped elevated dimer is an ideal platform to achieve the highest possible field enhancement for various plasmonic applications.

Profiling an electrospray plume by laser-induced fluorescence and Fraunhofer diffraction combined to mass spectrometry: influence of size and composition of droplets on charge-state distributions of electrosprayed proteins.

Science.gov (United States)

Girod, Marion; Dagany, Xavier; Boutou, Véronique; Broyer, Michel; Antoine, Rodolphe; Dugourd, Philippe; Mordehai, Alex; Love, Craig; Werlich, Mark; Fjeldsted, John; Stafford, George

2012-07-14

We investigated how physico-chemical properties of charged droplets are affected by the electrospray process, using simultaneous in situ measurements by laser-induced fluorescence (LIF), Fraunhofer diffraction and mass spectrometry. For this purpose, we implemented a laser-induced-fluorescence profiling setup in conjunction with a fast, high-resolution particle sizing scheme on a modified Agilent Jet Stream electrospray source coupled to a single quadrupole mass analyser. The optical setup permits us to profile the solvent fractionation and the size of the droplets as they evaporate in an electrospray plume by measuring both the angular scattering pattern and emission spectra of a solvatochromic fluorescent dye. Mass spectra are recorded simultaneously. These mass spectrometry and optical spectroscopy investigations allow us to study the relation between the observed charge-state distributions of protein anions and physico-chemical properties of evaporating droplets in the spray plume. By mixing water with methanol, a refolding of cytochrome C is observed as the water percentage increases in the plume due to the preponderant evaporation of volatile methanol.

Droplet centrifugation, droplet DNA extraction, and rapid droplet thermocycling for simpler and faster PCR assay using wire-guided manipulations.

Science.gov (United States)

You, David J; Yoon, Jeong-Yeol

2012-09-04

A computer numerical control (CNC) apparatus was used to perform droplet centrifugation, droplet DNA extraction, and rapid droplet thermocycling on a single superhydrophobic surface and a multi-chambered PCB heater. Droplets were manipulated using "wire-guided" method (a pipette tip was used in this study). This methodology can be easily adapted to existing commercial robotic pipetting system, while demonstrated added capabilities such as vibrational mixing, high-speed centrifuging of droplets, simple DNA extraction utilizing the hydrophobicity difference between the tip and the superhydrophobic surface, and rapid thermocycling with a moving droplet, all with wire-guided droplet manipulations on a superhydrophobic surface and a multi-chambered PCB heater (i.e., not on a 96-well plate). Serial dilutions were demonstrated for diluting sample matrix. Centrifuging was demonstrated by rotating a 10 μL droplet at 2300 round per minute, concentrating E. coli by more than 3-fold within 3 min. DNA extraction was demonstrated from E. coli sample utilizing the disposable pipette tip to cleverly attract the extracted DNA from the droplet residing on a superhydrophobic surface, which took less than 10 min. Following extraction, the 1500 bp sequence of Peptidase D from E. coli was amplified using rapid droplet thermocycling, which took 10 min for 30 cycles. The total assay time was 23 min, including droplet centrifugation, droplet DNA extraction and rapid droplet thermocycling. Evaporation from of 10 μL droplets was not significant during these procedures, since the longest time exposure to air and the vibrations was less than 5 min (during DNA extraction). The results of these sequentially executed processes were analyzed using gel electrophoresis. Thus, this work demonstrates the adaptability of the system to replace many common laboratory tasks on a single platform (through re-programmability), in rapid succession (using droplets), and with a high level of

Ice and water droplets on graphite: A comparison of quantum and classical simulations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramírez, Rafael; Singh, Jayant K.; Müller-Plathe, Florian; Böhm, Michael C.

2014-01-01

Ice and water droplets on graphite have been studied by quantum path integral and classical molecular dynamics simulations. The point-charge q-TIP4P/F potential was used to model the interaction between flexible water molecules, while the water-graphite interaction was described by a Lennard-Jones potential previously used to reproduce the macroscopic contact angle of water droplets on graphite. Several energetic and structural properties of water droplets with sizes between 10 2 and 10 3 molecules were analyzed in a temperature interval of 50–350 K. The vibrational density of states of crystalline and amorphous ice drops was correlated to the one of ice Ih to assess the influence of the droplet interface and molecular disorder on the vibrational properties. The average distance of covalent OH bonds is found 0.01 Å larger in the quantum limit than in the classical one. The OO distances are elongated by 0.03 Å in the quantum simulations at 50 K. Bond distance fluctuations are large as a consequence of the zero-point vibrations. The analysis of the H-bond network shows that the liquid droplet is more structured in the classical limit than in the quantum case. The average kinetic and potential energy of the ice and water droplets on graphite has been compared with the values of ice Ih and liquid water as a function of temperature. The droplet kinetic energy shows a temperature dependence similar to the one of liquid water, without apparent discontinuity at temperatures where the droplet is solid. However, the droplet potential energy becomes significantly larger than the one of ice or water at the same temperature. In the quantum limit, the ice droplet is more expanded than in a classical description. Liquid droplets display identical density profiles and liquid-vapor interfaces in the quantum and classical limits. The value of the contact angle is not influenced by quantum effects. Contact angles of droplets decrease as the size of the water droplet increases

Effects of droplet interactions on droplet transport at intermediate Reynolds numbers

Science.gov (United States)

Shuen, Jian-Shun

1987-01-01

Effects of droplet interactions on drag, evaporation, and combustion of a planar droplet array, oriented perpendicular to the approaching flow, are studied numerically. The three-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations, with variable thermophysical properties, are solved using finite-difference techniques. Parameters investigated include the droplet spacing, droplet Reynolds number, approaching stream oxygen concentration, and fuel type. Results are obtained for the Reynolds number range of 5 to 100, droplet spacings from 2 to 24 diameters, oxygen concentrations of 0.1 and 0.2, and methanol and n-butanol fuels. The calculations show that the gasification rates of interacting droplets decrease as the droplet spacings decrease. The reduction in gasification rates is significant only at small spacings and low Reynolds numbers. For the present array orientation, the effects of interactions on the gasification rates diminish rapidly for Reynolds numbers greater than 10 and spacings greater than 6 droplet diameters. The effects of adjacent droplets on drag are shown to be small.

Microsphere formation in droplets using antisolvent vapour precipitation technique

OpenAIRE

Chew, Sean Jun Liang

2017-01-01

In previous studies, the antisolvent vapour precipitation method has been proven to produce uniformly sized lactose microspheres (1.0 µm) from a single droplet (1.2 mm diameter) at atmospheric pressure. These types of particles have potential applications in the pharmaceutical industry, especially due to their high dissolution rate. This project looked into the possibility of using antisolvent vapour precipitation to produce microspheres from finely atomised droplets. Microspheres in the sub-...

One-way-coupling simulation of cavitation accompanied by high-speed droplet impact

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kondo, Tomoki; Ando, Keita, E-mail: kando@mech.keio.ac.jp [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Keio University, 3-14-1 Hiyoshi, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama 223-8522 (Japan)

2016-03-15

Erosion due to high-speed droplet impact is a crucial issue in industrial applications. The erosion is caused by the water-hammer loading on material surfaces and possibly by the reloading from collapsing cavitation bubbles that appear within the droplet. Here, we simulate the dynamics of cavitation bubbles accompanied by high-speed droplet impact against a deformable wall in order to see whether the bubble collapse is violent enough to give rise to cavitation erosion on the wall. The evolution of pressure waves in a single water (or gelatin) droplet to collide with a deformable wall at speed up to 110 m/s is inferred from simulations of multicomponent Euler flow where phase changes are not permitted. Then, we examine the dynamics of cavitation bubbles nucleated from micron/submicron-sized gas bubble nuclei that are supposed to exist inside the droplet. For simplicity, we perform Rayleigh–Plesset-type calculations in a one-way-coupling manner, namely, the bubble dynamics are determined according to the pressure variation obtained from the Euler flow simulation. In the simulation, the preexisting bubble nuclei whose size is either micron or submicron show large growth to submillimeters because tension inside the droplet is obtained through interaction of the pressure waves and the droplet interface; this supports the possibility of having cavitation due to the droplet impact. It is also found, in particular, for the case of cavitation arising from very small nuclei such as nanobubbles, that radiated pressure from the cavitation bubble collapse can overwhelm the water-hammer pressure directly created by the impact. Hence, cavitation may need to be accounted for when it comes to discussing erosion in the droplet impact problem.

Single droplet drying step characterization in microsphere preparation.

Science.gov (United States)

Al Zaitone, Belal; Lamprecht, Alf

2013-05-01

Spray drying processes are difficult to characterize since process parameters are not directly accessible. Acoustic levitation was used to investigate microencapsulation by spray drying on one single droplet facilitating the analyses of droplet behavior upon drying. Process parameters were simulated on a poly(lactide-co-glycolide)/ethyl acetate combination for microencapsulation. The results allowed quantifying the influence of process parameters such as temperature (0-40°C), polymer concentration (5-400 mg/ml), and droplet size (0.5-1.37 μl) on the drying time and drying kinetics as well as the particle morphology. The drying of polymer solutions at temperature of 21°C and concentration of 5 mg/ml, shows that the dimensionless particle diameter (Dp/D0) approaches 0.25 and the particle needs 350 s to dry. At 400 mg/ml, Dp/D0=0.8 and the drying time increases to one order of magnitude and a hollow particle is formed. The study demonstrates the benefit of using the acoustic levitator as a lab scale method to characterize and study the microparticle formation. This method can be considered as a helpful tool to mimic the full scale spray drying process by providing identical operational parameters such as air velocity, temperature, and variable droplet sizes. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Growth Kinetics of the Homogeneously Nucleated Water Droplets: Simulation Results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mokshin, Anatolii V; Galimzyanov, Bulat N

2012-01-01

The growth of homogeneously nucleated droplets in water vapor at the fixed temperatures T = 273, 283, 293, 303, 313, 323, 333, 343, 353, 363 and 373 K (the pressure p = 1 atm.) is investigated on the basis of the coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulation data with the mW-model. The treatment of simulation results is performed by means of the statistical method within the mean-first-passage-time approach, where the reaction coordinate is associated with the largest droplet size. It is found that the water droplet growth is characterized by the next features: (i) the rescaled growth law is unified at all the considered temperatures and (ii) the droplet growth evolves with acceleration and follows the power law.

β-lactoglobulin stabilized nanemulsions--Formulation and process factors affecting droplet size and nanoemulsion stability.

Science.gov (United States)

Ali, Ali; Mekhloufi, Ghozlene; Huang, Nicolas; Agnely, Florence

2016-03-16

To avoid the toxicological concerns associated to synthetic surfactants, proteins might be an alternative for the stabilization of pharmaceutical nanoemulsions. The present study investigates the use of β-lactoglobulin (β-lg) to stabilize oil in water biocompatible nanoemulsions intended for a pharmaceutical use and prepared by high pressure homogenization (HPH). The effects of composition (nature and weight fraction of oil, β-lg concentration) and of process parameters (pressure and number of cycles) on the droplet size and on the stability of nanoemulsions were thoroughly assessed. The nanoemulsions prepared with β-lg at 1 wt% and with 5 wt% Miglyol 812 (the oil with the lowest viscosity) displayed a relatively small particle size (about 200 nm) and a low polydispersity when a homogenization pressure of 100 MPa was applied for 4 cycles. These nanoemulsions were the most stable formulations over 30 days at least. Emulsification efficiency of β-lg was reduced at higher homogenization pressures (200 MPa and 300 MPa). The effect of HPH process on the interfacial properties of β-lg was evaluated by drop shape analysis. This treatment had an effect neither on the interfacial tension nor on the interfacial dilatational rheology of β-lg at the Miglyol 812/water interface. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Internal flow inside droplets within a concentrated emulsion during droplet rearrangement

Science.gov (United States)

Leong, Chia Min; Gai, Ya; Tang, Sindy K. Y.

2018-03-01

Droplet microfluidics, in which each droplet serves as a micro-reactor, has found widespread use in high-throughput biochemical screening applications. These droplets are often concentrated at various steps to form a concentrated emulsion. As part of a serial interrogation and sorting process, such concentrated emulsions are typically injected into a tapered channel leading to a constriction that fits one drop at a time for the probing of droplet content in a serial manner. The flow physics inside the droplets under these flow conditions are not well understood but are critical for predicting and controlling the mixing of reagents inside the droplets as reactors. Here we investigate the flow field inside droplets of a concentrated emulsion flowing through a tapered microchannel using micro-particle image velocimetry. The confining geometry of the channel forces the number of rows of drops to reduce by one at specific and uniformly spaced streamwise locations, which are referred to as droplet rearrangement zones. Within each rearrangement zone, the phase-averaged velocity results show that the motion of the droplets involved in the rearrangement process, also known as a T1 event, creates vortical structures inside themselves and their adjacent droplets. These flow structures increase the circulation inside droplets up to 2.5 times the circulation in droplets at the constriction. The structures weaken outside of the rearrangement zones suggesting that the flow patterns created by the T1 process are transient. The time scale of circulation is approximately the same as the time scale of a T1 event. Outside of the rearrangement zones, flow patterns in the droplets are determined by the relative velocity between the continuous and disperse phases.

Simulating structure and dynamics in small droplets of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate

Science.gov (United States)

Brehm, Martin; Sebastiani, Daniel

2018-05-01

To investigate the structure and dynamics of small ionic liquid droplets in gas phase, we performed a DFT-based ab initio molecular dynamics study of several 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate clusters in vacuum as well as a bulk phase simulation. We introduce an unbiased criterion for average droplet diameter and density. By extrapolation of the droplet densities, we predict the experimental bulk phase density with a deviation of only a few percent. The hydrogen bond geometry between cations and anions is very similar in droplets and bulk, but the hydrogen bond dynamics is significantly slower in the droplets, becoming slower with increasing system size, with hydrogen bond lifetimes up to 2000 ps. From a normal mode analysis of the trajectories, we identify the modes of the ring proton C-H stretching, which are strongly affected by hydrogen bonding. From analyzing these, we find that the hydrogen bond becomes weaker with increasing system size. The cations possess an increased concentration inside the clusters, whereas the anions show an excess concentration on the outside. Almost all anions point towards the droplet center with their carboxylic groups. Ring stacking is found to be a very important structural motif in the droplets (as in the bulk), but side chain interactions are only of minor importance. By using Voronoi tessellation, we define the exposed droplet surface and find that it consists mainly of hydrogen atoms from the cation's and anion's methyl and ethyl groups. Polar atoms are rarely found on the surface, such that the droplets appear completely hydrophobic on the outside.

Study of airborne particles generated by the impact of droplets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Motzkus, Ch.

2007-12-01

A liquid droplet impinging onto surfaces occurs in many industrial and natural processes. The study of this phenomenon is fundamental in order to determine the potential sources of contamination in the case of scenarios of liquid falls such as dripping. There are very few data in the literature in the case of the impact of millimeter-size droplets. The purpose of our work is to study experimentally the particle emission during the impact of droplets onto a liquid film. Experiments were conducted to study the influence of the velocity and the diameter of the droplets, the height of the liquid film, the surface tension and viscosity of the liquid on the airborne particles. Our results, original, have made it possible to examine the relevance of existing relations, describing the transition between deposition and splash regimes, in order to determine the presence or not of airborne particles. The micro droplets produced, with diameters less than fifty micrometers, are characterised in terms of total mass and size distribution. Our results also show the influence of a combination of several factors on the production of airborne particles. For this reason, it is interesting to use dimensionless numbers, to describe the relationship between the inertial, viscosity and surface tension forces, in order to understand physically the emission of airborne particles. (author)

Magnetically tunable oil droplet lens of deep-sea shrimp

Science.gov (United States)

Iwasaka, M.; Hirota, N.; Oba, Y.

2018-05-01

In this study, the tunable properties of a bio-lens from a deep-sea shrimp were investigated for the first time using magnetic fields. The skin of the shrimp exhibited a brilliantly colored reflection of incident white light. The light reflecting parts and the oil droplets in the shrimp's skin were observed in a glass slide sample cell using a digital microscope that operated in the bore of two superconducting magnets (maximum strengths of 5 and 13 T). In the ventral skin of the shrimp, which contained many oil droplets, some comparatively large oil droplets (50 to 150 μm in diameter) were present. A distinct response to magnetic fields was found in these large oil droplets. Further, the application of the magnetic fields to the sample cell caused a change in the size of the oil droplets. The phenomena observed in this work indicate that the oil droplets of deep sea shrimp can act as lenses in which the optical focusing can be modified via the application of external magnetic fields. The results of this study will make it possible to fabricate bio-inspired soft optical devices in future.

Droplet centrifugation, droplet DNA extraction, and rapid droplet thermocycling for simpler and faster PCR assay using wire-guided manipulations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

You David J

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract A computer numerical control (CNC apparatus was used to perform droplet centrifugation, droplet DNA extraction, and rapid droplet thermocycling on a single superhydrophobic surface and a multi-chambered PCB heater. Droplets were manipulated using “wire-guided” method (a pipette tip was used in this study. This methodology can be easily adapted to existing commercial robotic pipetting system, while demonstrated added capabilities such as vibrational mixing, high-speed centrifuging of droplets, simple DNA extraction utilizing the hydrophobicity difference between the tip and the superhydrophobic surface, and rapid thermocycling with a moving droplet, all with wire-guided droplet manipulations on a superhydrophobic surface and a multi-chambered PCB heater (i.e., not on a 96-well plate. Serial dilutions were demonstrated for diluting sample matrix. Centrifuging was demonstrated by rotating a 10 μL droplet at 2300 round per minute, concentrating E. coli by more than 3-fold within 3 min. DNA extraction was demonstrated from E. coli sample utilizing the disposable pipette tip to cleverly attract the extracted DNA from the droplet residing on a superhydrophobic surface, which took less than 10 min. Following extraction, the 1500 bp sequence of Peptidase D from E. coli was amplified using rapid droplet thermocycling, which took 10 min for 30 cycles. The total assay time was 23 min, including droplet centrifugation, droplet DNA extraction and rapid droplet thermocycling. Evaporation from of 10 μL droplets was not significant during these procedures, since the longest time exposure to air and the vibrations was less than 5 min (during DNA extraction. The results of these sequentially executed processes were analyzed using gel electrophoresis. Thus, this work demonstrates the adaptability of the system to replace many common laboratory tasks on a single platform (through re-programmability, in rapid succession (using droplets

Multi-scale simulation of droplet-droplet interactions and coalescence

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Musehane, Ndivhuwo M

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Conference on Computational and Applied Mechanics Potchefstroom 3–5 October 2016 Multi-scale simulation of droplet-droplet interactions and coalescence 1,2Ndivhuwo M. Musehane?, 1Oliver F. Oxtoby and 2Daya B. Reddy 1. Aeronautic Systems, Council... topology changes that result when droplets interact. This work endeavours to eliminate the need to use empirical correlations based on phenomenological models by developing a multi-scale model that predicts the outcome of a collision between droplets from...

Microfluidic room temperature ionic liquid droplet generation depending on the hydrophobicity and interfacial tension

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hwang, Jung Wook; Chang, Woo-Jin [University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee (United States); Choi, Joo Hyung; Koo, Yoon Mo [Department of Biological Engineering, Incheon (Korea, Republic of); Choi, Bum Joon; Lee, Gyu Do; Lee, Sang Woo [Yonsei University, Wonju (Korea, Republic of)

2016-01-15

We have characterized micro-droplet generation using water immiscible hexafluorophosphate ([PF{sub 6}])- and bis(trifluoro methylsulfonyl)imide ([Tf{sub 2}N])-based room temperature ionic liquids (RTILs). The interfacial tension between total 7 RTILs and phosphate buffered saline (PBS) was measured using a tensiometer for the first time. PBS is one of the most commonly used buffer solutions in cell-related researches. The measured interfacial tension ranges from 8.51 to 11.62 and from 9.56 to 13.19 for [Tf{sub 2}N]- and [PF{sub 6}]-based RTILs, respectively. The RTILs micro-droplets were generated in a microfluidic device. The micro-droplet size and generation frequency were determined based on continuous monitoring of light transmittance at the interface in microchannel. The size of RTIL micro-droplets was inversely proportional to the increase of PBS solution flow rate and RTILs hydrophobicity, while droplet generation frequency was proportional to those changes. The measured size of RTILs droplets ranged from 0.6 to 10.5 nl, and from 1.0 to 17.1 nl for [Tf{sub 2}N]- and [PF{sub 6}]-based RTILs, respectively. The measured frequency of generated RTILs droplets ranged from 2.3 to 37.2 droplet/min, and from 2.7 to 17.1 droplet/min for [Tf{sub 2}N]- and [PF{sub 6}]-based RTILs, respectively. The capillary numbers were calculated depending on the RTILs, and ranged from 0.51x10{sup -3} to 1.06x10{sup -3} and from 5.00x10{sup -3} to 8.65x10{sup -3}, for [Tf{sub 2}N]- and [PF{sub 6}]-based RTILs, respectively. The interfacial tension between RTILs and PBS will contribute to developing bioprocesses using immiscible RTILs. Also, the RTILs micro-droplets will enable the high-throughput monitoring of various biological and chemical reactions using RTILs as new reaction media.

Experimental investigation on the effect of liquid injection by multiple orifices in the formation of droplets in a Venturi scrubber

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guerra, V.G.; Goncalves, J.A.S. [Department of Chemical Engineering, Federal University of Sao Carlos, Via Washington Luiz, Km. 235, 13565-905 Sao Carlos, SP (Brazil); Coury, J.R. [Department of Chemical Engineering, Federal University of Sao Carlos, Via Washington Luiz, Km. 235, 13565-905 Sao Carlos, SP (Brazil)], E-mail: jcoury@ufscar.br

2009-01-15

Venturi scrubbers are widely utilized in gas cleaning. The cleansing elements in these scrubbers are droplets formed from the atomization of a liquid into a dust-laden gas. In industrial scrubbers, this liquid is injected through several orifices so that the cloud of droplets can be evenly distributed throughout the duct. The interaction between droplets when injected through many orifices, where opposite clouds of atomized liquid can reach each other, is to be expected. This work presents experimental measurements of droplet size measured in situ and the evidence of cloud interaction within a Venturi scrubber operating with multi-orifice jet injection. The influence of gas velocity, liquid flow rate and droplet size variation in the axial position after the point of the injection of the liquid were also evaluated for the different injection configurations. The experimental results showed that an increase in the liquid flow rate generated greater interaction between jets. The number of orifices had a significant influence on droplet size. In general, the increase in the velocity of the liquid jet and in the gas velocity favored the atomization process by reducing the size of the droplets.

Experimental investigation on the effect of liquid injection by multiple orifices in the formation of droplets in a Venturi scrubber

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guerra, V.G.; Goncalves, J.A.S.; Coury, J.R.

2009-01-01

Venturi scrubbers are widely utilized in gas cleaning. The cleansing elements in these scrubbers are droplets formed from the atomization of a liquid into a dust-laden gas. In industrial scrubbers, this liquid is injected through several orifices so that the cloud of droplets can be evenly distributed throughout the duct. The interaction between droplets when injected through many orifices, where opposite clouds of atomized liquid can reach each other, is to be expected. This work presents experimental measurements of droplet size measured in situ and the evidence of cloud interaction within a Venturi scrubber operating with multi-orifice jet injection. The influence of gas velocity, liquid flow rate and droplet size variation in the axial position after the point of the injection of the liquid were also evaluated for the different injection configurations. The experimental results showed that an increase in the liquid flow rate generated greater interaction between jets. The number of orifices had a significant influence on droplet size. In general, the increase in the velocity of the liquid jet and in the gas velocity favored the atomization process by reducing the size of the droplets

Experimental investigation on the effect of liquid injection by multiple orifices in the formation of droplets in a Venturi scrubber.

Science.gov (United States)

Guerra, V G; Gonçalves, J A S; Coury, J R

2009-01-15

Venturi scrubbers are widely utilized in gas cleaning. The cleansing elements in these scrubbers are droplets formed from the atomization of a liquid into a dust-laden gas. In industrial scrubbers, this liquid is injected through several orifices so that the cloud of droplets can be evenly distributed throughout the duct. The interaction between droplets when injected through many orifices, where opposite clouds of atomized liquid can reach each other, is to be expected. This work presents experimental measurements of droplet size measured in situ and the evidence of cloud interaction within a Venturi scrubber operating with multi-orifice jet injection. The influence of gas velocity, liquid flow rate and droplet size variation in the axial position after the point of the injection of the liquid were also evaluated for the different injection configurations. The experimental results showed that an increase in the liquid flow rate generated greater interaction between jets. The number of orifices had a significant influence on droplet size. In general, the increase in the velocity of the liquid jet and in the gas velocity favored the atomization process by reducing the size of the droplets.

Fluid mechanics of additive manufacturing of metal objects by accretion of droplets – a survey

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tesař Václav

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Paper presents a survey of principles of additive manufacturing of metal objects by accretion of molten metal droplets, focusing on fluid-mechanical problems that deserve being investigated. The main problem is slowness of manufacturing due to necessarily small size of added droplets. Increase of droplet repetition rate calls for basic research of the phenomena that take place inside and around the droplets: ballistics of their flight, internal flowfield with heat and mass transfer, oscillation of surfaces, and the ways to elimination of satellite droplets.

Continuous growth of cloud droplets in cumulus cloud

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gotoh, Toshiyuki; Suehiro, Tamotsu; Saito, Izumi

2016-01-01

A new method to seamlessly simulate the continuous growth of droplets advected by turbulent flow inside a cumulus cloud was developed from first principle. A cubic box ascending with a mean updraft inside a cumulus cloud was introduced and the updraft velocity was self-consistently determined in such a way that the mean turbulent velocity within the box vanished. All the degrees of freedom of the cloud droplets and turbulence fields were numerically integrated. The box ascended quickly inside the cumulus cloud due to the updraft and the mean radius of the droplets grew from 10 to 24 μ m for about 10 min. The turbulent flow tended to slow down the time evolutions of the updraft velocity, the box altitude and the mean cloud droplet radius. The size distribution of the cloud droplets in the updraft case was narrower than in the absence of the updraft. It was also found that the wavenumeber spectra of the variances of the temperature and water vapor mixing ratio were nearly constant in the low wavenumber range. The future development of the new method was argued. (paper)

A numerical study on the dynamics of droplet formation in a microfluidic double T-junction.

Science.gov (United States)

Ngo, Ich-Long; Dang, Trung-Dung; Byon, Chan; Joo, Sang Woo

2015-03-01

In this study, droplet formations in microfluidic double T-junctions (MFDTD) are investigated based on a two-dimensional numerical model with volume of fluid method. Parametric ranges for generating alternating droplet formation (ADF) are identified. A physical background responsible for the ADF is suggested by analyzing the dynamical stability of flow system. Since the phase discrepancy between dispersed flows is mainly caused by non-symmetrical breaking of merging droplet, merging regime becomes the alternating regime at appropriate conditions. In addition, the effects of channel geometries on droplet formation are studied in terms of relative channel width. The predicted results show that the ADF region is shifted toward lower capillary numbers when channel width ratio is less than unity. The alternating droplet size increases with the increase of channel width ratio. When this ratio reaches unity, alternating droplets can be formed at very high water fraction (wf = 0.8). The droplet formation in MFDTD depends significantly on the viscosity ratio, and the droplet size in ADF decreases with the increase of the viscosity ratio. The understanding of underlying physics of the ADF phenomenon is useful for many applications, including nanoparticle synthesis with different concentrations, hydrogel bead generation, and cell transplantation in biomedical therapy.

A Numerical Analysis of Droplet Breakup in Asymmetric T-Junctions with Different Outlet Pressure Gradients

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Way Lee; Han, Arum; Sadr, Reza

2016-11-01

Droplet splitting is the breakup of a parent droplet into two or more daughter droplets of desired sizes. It is done to improve production efficiency and investigational capacity in microfluidic devices. Passive splitting is the breakup of droplets into precise volume ratios at predetermined locations without external power sources. In this study, a 3-D simulation was conducted using the Volume-of-Fluid method to analysis the breakup process of a droplet in asymmetric T-junctions with different outlet arm lengths. The arrangement allows a droplet to be split into two smaller droplets of different sizes, where the volumetric ratio of the daughter droplets depends on the length ratios of the outlet arms. The study identified different breakup regimes such as primary, transition, bubble and non-breakup under different flow conditions and channel configurations. Furthermore, a close analysis to the primary breakup regimes were done to determine the breakup mechanisms at various flow conditions. The analysis show that the breakup mechanisms in asymmetric T-junctions is different than a regular split. A pseudo-phenomenological model for the breakup criteria was presented at the end. The model was an expanded version to a theoretically derived model for the symmetric droplet breakup. The Qatar National Research Fund (a member of the Qatar Founda- tion), under Grant NPRP 5-671-2-278, supported this work.

Variation in polydispersity in pump- and pressure-driven micro-droplet generators

Science.gov (United States)

Zeng, Wen; Jacobi, Ian; Li, Songjing; Stone, Howard A.

2015-11-01

The polydispersity of droplets produced in a typical T-junction microfluidic channel under both syringe-pump-driven and pressure-driven flow configurations is measured quantitatively. Both flow systems exhibit high-frequency flow fluctuations that result in an intrinsic polydispersity due to the mechanism of droplet generation. In addition to this intrinsic polydispersity, the syringe-pump-driven device also exhibits low-frequency fluctuations due to mechanical oscillations of the pump, which overwhelm the high-frequency flow fluctuations and produce a signficantly heightened level of polydispersity. The quantitative difference in polydispersity between the two configurations and time-resolved measurements of individual droplet sizes are presented in order to enable the design of better flow control systems for droplet production.

A Computational Study of Internal Flows in a Heated Water-Oil Emulsion Droplet

KAUST Repository

Sim, Jaeheon

2015-01-05

The vaporization characteristics of water-oil emulsion droplets are investigated by high fidelity computational simulations. One of the key objectives is to identify the physical mechanism for the experimentally observed behavior that the component in the dispersed micro-droplets always vaporizes first, for both oil-in-water and water-in-oil emulsion droplets. The mechanism of this phenomenon has not been clearly understood. In this study, an Eulerian-Lagrangian method was implemented with a temperature-dependent surface tension model and a dynamic adaptive mesh refinement in order to effectively capture the thermo-capillary effect of a micro-droplet in an emulsion droplet efficiently. It is found that the temperature difference in an emulsion droplet creates a surface tension gradient along the micro-droplet surface, inducing surface movement. Subsequently, the outer shear flow and internal flow circulation inside the droplet, referred to as the Marangoni convection, are created. The present study confirms that the Marangoni effect can be sufficiently large to drive the micro-droplets to the emulsion droplet surface at higher temperature, for both water-in-oil and oil-and-water emulsion droplets. A further parametric study with different micro-droplet sizes and temperature gradients demonstrates that larger micro-droplets move faster with larger temperature gradient. The oil micro-droplet in oil-in-water emulsion droplets moves faster due to large temperature gradients by smaller thermal conductivity.

Experimental and theoretical investigation of droplet dispersion in venturi scrubbers with axial liquid injection

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mokhtarian, N.; Talaei, A.; Karimikhosroabadi, M. [Islamic Azad University, Shahreza Branch, Shahreza (Iran); Sadeghi, F. [Chemical Engineering Department, University of Isfahan, Isfahan (Iran); Talaie, M.R.

2009-05-15

Droplet dispersion in a Venturi scrubber with axial liquid injection was investigated both experimentally and theoretically. The main objective of this study was to develop a mathematical model to predict droplet dispersion in a Venturi scrubber with axial liquid injection. The effects of the Peclet number and droplet size distribution on droplet dispersion were studied using the developed model. Sampling of the droplets was carried out, isokinetically, in 16 positions at the end of the throat section. The experimental data were used to find the parameters of the developed model, such as the Peclet number. From the results of this study, it was found that the Peclet number was not constant across the cross section of the scrubber channel. In order to achieve a better agreement between the results of the model and the experimental data, it was required to consider Peclet number variations across the Venturi channel. It was also revealed that the parameter representing the width of the Rosin-Rammler distribution of droplet size could not be considered constant and it was influenced significantly by the operating parameters such as liquid flow rate and gas velocity. (Abstract Copyright [2009], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Continuous scanning of the mobility and size distribution of charged clusters and nanometer particles in atmospheric air and the Balanced Scanning Mobility Analyzer BSMA

Science.gov (United States)

Tammet, H.

2006-12-01

Measuring of charged nanometer particles in atmospheric air is a routine task in research on atmospheric electricity, where these particles are called the atmospheric ions. An aspiration condenser is the most popular instrument for measuring atmospheric ions. Continuous scanning of a mobility distribution is possible when the aspiration condenser is connected as an arm of a balanced bridge. Transfer function of an aspiration condenser is calculated according to the measurements of geometric dimensions, air flow rate, driving voltage, and electric current. The most complicated phase of the calibration is the estimation of the inlet loss of ions due to the Brownian deposition. The available models of ion deposition on the protective inlet screen and the inlet control electrofilter have the uncertainty of about 20%. To keep the uncertainty of measurements low the adsorption should not exceed a few tens of percent. The online conversion of the mobility distribution to the size distribution and a correct reduction of inlet losses are possible when air temperature and pressure are measured simultaneously with the mobility distribution. Two instruments called the Balanced Scanning Mobility Analyzers (BSMA) were manufactured and tested in routine atmospheric measurements. The concentration of atmospheric ions of the size of about a few nanometers is very low and a high air flow rate is required to collect enough of ion current. The air flow of 52 l/s exceeds the air flow in usual aerosol instruments by 2-3 orders of magnitude. The high flow rate reduces the time of ion passage to 60 ms and the heating of air in an analyzer to 0.2 K, which suppresses a possible transformation of ions inside the instrument. The mobility range of the BSMA of 0.032-3.2 cm 2 V - 1 s - 1 is logarithmically uniformly divided into 16 fractions. The size distribution is presented by 12 fractions in the diameter range of 0.4-7.5 nm. The measurement noise of a fraction concentration is typically

Dual-mode nonlinear instability analysis of a confined planar liquid sheet sandwiched between two gas streams of unequal velocities and prediction of droplet size and velocity distribution using maximum entropy formulation

Science.gov (United States)

Dasgupta, Debayan; Nath, Sujit; Bhanja, Dipankar

2018-04-01

Twin fluid atomizers utilize the kinetic energy of high speed gases to disintegrate a liquid sheet into fine uniform droplets. Quite often, the gas streams are injected at unequal velocities to enhance the aerodynamic interaction between the liquid sheet and surrounding atmosphere. In order to improve the mixing characteristics, practical atomizers confine the gas flows within ducts. Though the liquid sheet coming out of an injector is usually annular in shape, it can be considered to be planar as the mean radius of curvature is much larger than the sheet thickness. There are numerous studies on breakup of the planar liquid sheet, but none of them considered the simultaneous effects of confinement and unequal gas velocities on the spray characteristics. The present study performs a nonlinear temporal analysis of instabilities in the planar liquid sheet, produced by two co-flowing gas streams moving with unequal velocities within two solid walls. The results show that the para-sinuous mode dominates the breakup process at all flow conditions over the para-varicose mode of breakup. The sheet pattern is strongly influenced by gas velocities, particularly for the para-varicose mode. Spray characteristics are influenced by both gas velocity and proximity to the confining wall, but the former has a much more pronounced effect on droplet size. An increase in the difference between gas velocities at two interfaces drastically shifts the droplet size distribution toward finer droplets. Moreover, asymmetry in gas phase velocities affects the droplet velocity distribution more, only at low liquid Weber numbers for the input conditions chosen in the present study.

CCN Activity, Variability and Influence on Droplet Formation during the HygrA-Cd Campaign in Athens

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aikaterini Bougiatioti

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Measurements of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN concentrations (cm−3 at five levels of supersaturation between 0.2–1%, together with remote sensing profiling and aerosol size distributions, were performed at an urban background site of Athens during the Hygroscopic Aerosols to Cloud Droplets (HygrA-CD campaign. The site is affected by local emissions and long-range transport, as portrayed by the aerosol size, hygroscopicity and mixing state. Application of a state-of-the-art droplet parameterization is used to link the observed size distribution measurements, bulk composition, and modeled boundary layer dynamics with potential supersaturation, droplet number, and sensitivity of these parameters for clouds forming above the site. The sensitivity is then used to understand the source of potential droplet number variability. We find that the importance of aerosol particle concentration levels associated with the background increases as vertical velocities increase. The updraft velocity variability was found to contribute 58–90% (68.6% on average to the variance of the cloud droplet number, followed by the variance in aerosol number (6–32%, average 23.2%. Therefore, although local sources may strongly modulate CCN concentrations, their impact on droplet number is limited by the atmospheric dynamics expressed by the updraft velocity regime.

EVAPORATIVE DROPLETS IN ONE-COMPONENT FLUIDS DRIVEN BY THERMAL GRADIENTS ON SOLID SUBSTRATES

KAUST Repository

Xu, Xinpeng; Qian, Tiezheng

2013-01-01

A continuum hydrodynamic model is presented for one-component liquid-gas flows on nonisothermal solid substrates. Numerical simulations are carried out for evaporative droplets moving on substrates with thermal gradients. For droplets in one-component fluids on heated/cooled substrates, the free liquid-gas interfaces are nearly isothermal. Consequently, a thermal singularity occurs at the contact line while the Marangoni effect due to interfacial temperature variation is suppressed. Through evaporation/condensation near the contact line, the thermal singularity makes the contact angle increase with the increasing substrate temperature. Due to this effect, droplets will move toward the cold end on substrates with thermal gradients. The droplet migration velocity is found to be proportional to the change of substrate temperature across the droplet. It follows that for two droplets of different sizes on a substrate with temperature gradient, the larger droplet moves faster and will catch up with the smaller droplet ahead. As soon as they touch, they coalesce rapidly into an even larger droplet that will move even faster. © 2013 World Scientific Publishing Company.

EVAPORATIVE DROPLETS IN ONE-COMPONENT FLUIDS DRIVEN BY THERMAL GRADIENTS ON SOLID SUBSTRATES

KAUST Repository

Xu, Xinpeng

2013-03-20

A continuum hydrodynamic model is presented for one-component liquid-gas flows on nonisothermal solid substrates. Numerical simulations are carried out for evaporative droplets moving on substrates with thermal gradients. For droplets in one-component fluids on heated/cooled substrates, the free liquid-gas interfaces are nearly isothermal. Consequently, a thermal singularity occurs at the contact line while the Marangoni effect due to interfacial temperature variation is suppressed. Through evaporation/condensation near the contact line, the thermal singularity makes the contact angle increase with the increasing substrate temperature. Due to this effect, droplets will move toward the cold end on substrates with thermal gradients. The droplet migration velocity is found to be proportional to the change of substrate temperature across the droplet. It follows that for two droplets of different sizes on a substrate with temperature gradient, the larger droplet moves faster and will catch up with the smaller droplet ahead. As soon as they touch, they coalesce rapidly into an even larger droplet that will move even faster. © 2013 World Scientific Publishing Company.

Nanometals - Status and perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Faester, S.; Hansen, N.; Huang, X.; Juul Jensen, D.; Ralph, B.

2012-01-01

Nanometals and nanotechnology have over the years been covered in papers, books and conferences - also in many Risoe International Symposia, where the 30th in 2009 dealt solely with nanostructured metals. Since then, rapid progress has been made in synthesis, characterization and modeling, and it is timely to discuss status and perspective also with a view on applications in an international forum such as the Risoe Symposium. Both keynote and contributed papers address important current problems illustrating global research and development in this field. Examples are the development of new synthesis techniques followed by characterization and modeling of microstructures both in 2D and 3D now starting to bridge the micrometer scales. The vital area of mechanical behavior is addressed by the development of new testing techniques and a broad effort to characterize and model mechanical properties of metals strengthened by dislocations and twins. This research has now led to new understanding of both strengthening mechanisms and strengh structure relationships based on experiments in combination with analytical and numerical modeling. The holistic approach to research on nanometals demonstrated by these proceedings can guide both scientists and technologists in their future work also with the aim of introducing into society this new group of advanced materials. Such an effort is important, as science and technology today is significantly affected by politics of governments and international institutions, and therefore a new initiative in the pressent is to include a discussion of research and development in the area of nanometals i USA, China and Japan. (Author)

Nanometals - Status and perspective

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Faester, S.; Hansen, N.; Huang, X.; Juul Jensen, D.; Ralph, B. (eds.)

2012-11-01

Nanometals and nanotechnology have over the years been covered in papers, books and conferences - also in many Risoe International Symposia, where the 30th in 2009 dealt solely with nanostructured metals. Since then, rapid progress has been made in synthesis, characterization and modeling, and it is timely to discuss status and perspective also with a view on applications in an international forum such as the Risoe Symposium. Both keynote and contributed papers address important current problems illustrating global research and development in this field. Examples are the development of new synthesis techniques followed by characterization and modeling of microstructures both in 2D and 3D now starting to bridge the micrometer scales. The vital area of mechanical behavior is addressed by the development of new testing techniques and a broad effort to characterize and model mechanical properties of metals strengthened by dislocations and twins. This research has now led to new understanding of both strengthening mechanisms and strengh structure relationships based on experiments in combination with analytical and numerical modeling. The holistic approach to research on nanometals demonstrated by these proceedings can guide both scientists and technologists in their future work also with the aim of introducing into society this new group of advanced materials. Such an effort is important, as science and technology today is significantly affected by politics of governments and international institutions, and therefore a new initiative in the pressent is to include a discussion of research and development in the area of nanometals i USA, China and Japan. (Author)

Simulation of water vapor condensation on LOX droplet surface using liquid nitrogen

Science.gov (United States)

Powell, Eugene A.

1988-01-01

The formation of ice or water layers on liquid oxygen (LOX) droplets in the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) environment was investigated. Formulation of such ice/water layers is indicated by phase-equilibrium considerations under conditions of high partial pressure of water vapor (steam) and low LOX droplet temperature prevailing in the SSME preburner or main chamber. An experimental investigation was begun using liquid nitrogen as a LOX simulant. A monodisperse liquid nitrogen droplet generator was developed which uses an acoustic driver to force the stream of liquid emerging from a capillary tube to break up into a stream of regularly space uniformly sized spherical droplets. The atmospheric pressure liquid nitrogen in the droplet generator reservoir was cooled below its boiling point to prevent two phase flow from occurring in the capillary tube. An existing steam chamber was modified for injection of liquid nitrogen droplets into atmospheric pressure superheated steam. The droplets were imaged using a stroboscopic video system and a laser shadowgraphy system. Several tests were conducted in which liquid nitrogen droplets were injected into the steam chamber. Under conditions of periodic droplet formation, images of 600 micron diameter liquid nitrogen droplets were obtained with the stroboscopic video systems.

Thermocapillary droplet actuation on structured solid surfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Karapetsas, George; Chamakos, Nikolaos T.; Papathanasiou, Athanasios G.

2017-11-01

The present work investigates, through 2D and 3D finite element simulations, the thermocapillary-driven flow inside a droplet which resides on a non-uniformly heated patterned surface. We employ a recently proposed sharp-interface scheme capable of efficiently modelling the flow over complicate surfaces and consider a wide range of substrate wettabilities, i.e. from hydrophilic to super-hydrophobic surfaces. Our simulations indicate that due to the presence of the solid structures and the induced effect of contact angle hysteresis, inherently predicted by our model, a critical thermal gradient arises beyond which droplet migration is possible, in line with previous experimental observations. The migration velocity as well as the direction of motion depends on the combined action of the net mechanical force along the contact line and the thermocapillary induced flow at the liquid-air interface. We also show that through a proper control and design of the substrate wettability, the contact angle hysteresis and the induced flow field it is possible to manipulate the droplet dynamics, e.g. controlling its motion along a predefined track or entrapping by a wetting defect a droplet based on its size as well as providing appropriate conditions for enhanced mixing inside the droplet. Funding from the European Research Council under the Europeans Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013)/ERC Grant agreement no. [240710] is acknowledged.

Structural Transitions in Cholesteric Liquid Crystal Droplets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhou, Ye; Bukusoglu, Emre; Martínez-González, José A.; Rahimi, Mohammad; Roberts, Tyler F.; Zhang, Rui; Wang, Xiaoguang; Abbott, Nicholas L.; de Pablo, Juan J.

2016-07-26

Confinement of cholesteric liquid crystals (ChLC) into droplets leads to a delicate interplay between elasticity, chirality, and surface energy. In this work, we rely on a combination of theory and experiments to understand the rich morphological behavior that arises from that balance. More specifically, a systematic study of micrometer-sized ChLC droplets is presented as a function of chirality and surface energy (or anchoring). With increasing chirality, a continuous transition is observed from a twisted bipolar structure to a radial spherical structure, all within a narrow range of chirality. During such a transition, a bent structure is predicted by simulations and confirmed by experimental observations. Simulations are also able to capture the dynamics of the quenching process observed in experiments. Consistent with published work, it is found that nanoparticles are attracted to defect regions on the surface of the droplets. For weak anchoring conditions at the nanoparticle surface, ChLC droplets adopt a morphology similar to that of the equilibrium helical phase observed for ChLCs in the bulk. As the anchoring strength increases, a planar bipolar structure arises, followed by a morphological transition to a bent structure. The influence of chirality and surface interactions are discussed in the context of the potential use of ChLC droplets as stimuli-responsive materials for reporting molecular adsorbates.

Cool-flame Extinction During N-Alkane Droplet Combustion in Microgravity

Science.gov (United States)

Nayagam, Vedha; Dietrich, Daniel L.; Hicks, Michael C.; Williams, Forman A.

2014-01-01

Recent droplet combustion experiments onboard the International Space Station (ISS) have revealed that large n-alkane droplets can continue to burn quasi-steadily following radiative extinction in a low-temperature regime, characterized by negative-temperaturecoefficient (NTC) chemistry. In this study we report experimental observations of n-heptane, n-octane, and n-decane droplets of varying initial sizes burning in oxygen/nitrogen/carbon dioxide and oxygen/helium/nitrogen environments at 1.0, 0.7, and 0.5 atmospheric pressures. The oxygen concentration in these tests varied in the range of 14% to 25% by volume. Large n-alkane droplets exhibited quasi-steady low-temperature burning and extinction following radiative extinction of the visible flame while smaller droplets burned to completion or disruptively extinguished. A vapor-cloud formed in most cases slightly prior to or following the "cool flame" extinction. Results for droplet burning rates in both the hot-flame and cool-flame regimes as well as droplet extinction diameters at the end of each stage are presented. Time histories of radiant emission from the droplet captured using broadband radiometers are also presented. Remarkably the "cool flame" extinction diameters for all the three n-alkanes follow a trend reminiscent of the ignition delay times observed in previous studies. The similarities and differences among the n-alkanes during "cool flame" combustion are discussed using simplified theoretical models of the phenomenon

Uniform-sized silicone oil microemulsions: preparation, investigation of stability and deposition on hair surface.

Science.gov (United States)

Nazir, Habiba; Lv, Piping; Wang, Lianyan; Lian, Guoping; Zhu, Shiping; Ma, Guanghui

2011-12-01

Emulsions are commonly used in foods, pharmaceuticals and home-personal-care products. For emulsion based products, it is highly desirable to control the droplet size distribution to improve storage stability, appearance and in-use property. We report preparation of uniform-sized silicone oil microemulsions with different droplets diameters (1.4-40.0 μm) using SPG membrane emulsification technique. These microemulsions were then added into model shampoos and conditioners to investigate the effects of size, uniformity, and storage stability on silicone oil deposition on hair surface. We observed much improved storage stability of uniform-sized microemulsions when the droplets diameter was ≤22.7 μm. The uniform-sized microemulsion of 40.0 μm was less stable but still more stable than non-uniform sized microemulsions prepared by conventional homogenizer. The results clearly indicated that uniform-sized droplets enhanced the deposition of silicone oil on hair and deposition increased with decreasing droplet size. Hair switches washed with small uniform-sized droplets had lower values of coefficient of friction compared with those washed with larger uniform and non-uniform droplets. Moreover the addition of alginate thickener in the shampoos and conditioners further enhanced the deposition of silicone oil on hair. The good correlation between silicone oil droplets stability, deposition on hair and resultant friction of hair support that droplet size and uniformity are important factors for controlling the stability and deposition property of emulsion based products such as shampoo and conditioner. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Microfluidic generation of droplets with a high loading of nanoparticles.

Science.gov (United States)

Wan, Jiandi; Shi, Lei; Benson, Bryan; Bruzek, Matthew J; Anthony, John E; Sinko, Patrick J; Prudhomme, Robert K; Stone, Howard A

2012-09-18

Microfluidic approaches for controlled generation of colloidal clusters, for example, via encapsulation of colloidal particles in droplets, have been used for the synthesis of functional materials including drug delivery carriers. Most of the studies, however, use a low concentration of an original colloidal suspension (60 wt %) particle concentrations. Three types of microfluidic devices, PDMS flow-focusing, PDMS T-junction, and microcapillary devices, are investigated for direct encapsulation of a high concentration of polystyrene (PS) nanoparticles in droplets. In particular, it is shown that PDMS devices fabricated by soft lithography can generate droplets from a 25 wt % PS suspension, whereas microcapillary devices made from glass capillary tubes are able to produce droplets from a 67 wt % PS nanoparticle suspension. When the PS concentration is between 0.6 and 25 wt %, the size of the droplets is found to change with the oil-to-water flow rate ratio and is independent of the concentration of particles in the initial suspensions. Drop sizes from ~12 to 40 μm are made using flow rate ratios Q(oil)/Q(water) from 20 to 1, respectively, with either of the PDMS devices. However, clogging occurs in PDMS devices at high PS concentrations (>25 wt %) arising from interactions between the PS colloids and the surface of PDMS devices. Glass microcapillary devices, on the other hand, are resistant to clogging and can produce droplets continuously even when the concentration of PS nanoparticles reaches 67 wt %. We believe that our findings indicate useful approaches and guidelines for the controlled generation of emulsions filled with a high loading of nanoparticles, which are useful for drug delivery applications.

Microfluidic generation of droplets with a high loading of nanoparticles

Science.gov (United States)

Wan, Jiandi; Shi, Lei; Benson, Bryan; Bruzek, Matthew J.; Anthony, John E.; Sinko, Patrick J.; Prudhomme, Robert K.; Stone, Howard A.

2012-01-01

Microfluidic approaches for controlled generation of colloidal clusters, e.g., via encapsulation of colloidal particles in droplets, have been used for the synthesis of functional materials including drug delivery carriers. Most of the studies, however, use a low concentration of an original colloidal suspension ( 60 wt%) particle concentrations. Three types of microfluidic devices, PDMS flow-focusing, PDMS T-junction, and microcapillary devices, are investigated for direct encapsulation of a high concentration of polystyrene (PS) nanoparticles in droplets. In particular, it is shown that PDMS devices fabricated by soft lithography can generate droplets from a 25 wt% PS suspension, whereas microcapillary devices made from glass capillary tubes are able to produce droplets from a 67 wt% PS nanoparticle suspension. When the PS concentration is between 0.6 and 25 wt%, the size of the droplets is found to change with the oil-to-water flow rate ratio and is independent of the concentration of particles in the initial suspensions. Drop sizes from ~12 to 40 μm are made using flow rate ratios Qoil/Qwater from 20 to 1, respectively, with either of the PDMS devices. However, clogging occurs in PDMS devices at high PS concentrations (> 25 wt%) arising from interactions between the PS colloids and the surface of PDMS devices. Glass microcapillary devices, on the other hand, are resistant to clogging and can produce droplets continuously even when the concentration of PS nanoparticles reaches 67 wt%. We believe that our findings indicate useful approaches and guidelines for the controlled generation of emulsions of microparticles that are filled with a high loading of nanoparticles and which are useful for drug delivery applications. PMID:22934976

Dispersion effect and auto-reconditioning performance of nanometer ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

This paper reported on dispersion effect and dispersing techniques of nanometer WS2 particles in the green lubricant concocted by us. And it also researched on auto-reconditioning performance of nanometer WS2 particles to the abrasive surfaces of steel ball from four-ball tribology test and piston ring from engine ...

Ignition of an organic water-coal fuel droplet floating in a heated-air flow

Science.gov (United States)

Valiullin, T. R.; Strizhak, P. A.; Shevyrev, S. A.; Bogomolov, A. R.

2017-01-01

Ignition of an organic water-coal fuel (CWSP) droplet floating in a heated-air flow has been studied experimentally. Rank B2 brown-coal particles with a size of 100 μm, used crankcase Total oil, water, and a plasticizer were used as the main CWSP components. A dedicated quartz-glass chamber has been designed with inlet and outlet elements made as truncated cones connected via a cylindrical ring. The cones were used to shape an oxidizer flow with a temperature of 500-830 K and a flow velocity of 0.5-5.0 m/s. A technique that uses a coordinate-positioning gear, a nichrome thread, and a cutter element has been developed for discharging CWSP droplets into the working zone of the chamber. Droplets with an initial size of 0.4 to 2.0 mm were used. Conditions have been determined for a droplet to float in the oxidizer flow long enough for the sustainable droplet burning to be initiated. Typical stages and integral ignition characteristics have been established. The integral parameters (ignition-delay times) of the examined processes have been compared to the results of experiments with CWSP droplets suspended on the junction of a quick-response thermocouple. It has been shown that floating fuel droplets ignite much quicker than the ones that sit still on the thermocouple due to rotation of an CWSP droplet in the oxidizer flow, more uniform heating of the droplet, and lack of heat drainage towards the droplet center. High-speed video recording of the peculiarities of floatation of a burning fuel droplet makes it possible to complement the existing models of water-coal fuel burning. The results can be used for a more substantiated modeling of furnace CWSP burning with the ANSYS, Fluent, and Sigma-Flow software packages.

Modest hypoxia significantly reduces triglyceride content and lipid droplet size in 3T3-L1 adipocytes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hashimoto, Takeshi, E-mail: thashimo@fc.ritsumei.ac.jp [Faculty of Sport and Health Science, Ritsumeikan University, 1-1-1 Nojihigashi, Kusatsu, Shiga 525-8577 (Japan); Yokokawa, Takumi; Endo, Yuriko [Faculty of Sport and Health Science, Ritsumeikan University, 1-1-1 Nojihigashi, Kusatsu, Shiga 525-8577 (Japan); Iwanaka, Nobumasa [Ritsumeikan Global Innovation Research Organization, Ritsumeikan University, 1-1-1 Nojihigashi, Kusatsu, Shiga 525-8577 (Japan); Higashida, Kazuhiko [Faculty of Sport and Health Science, Ritsumeikan University, 1-1-1 Nojihigashi, Kusatsu, Shiga 525-8577 (Japan); Faculty of Sport Science, Waseda University, 2-579-15 Mikajima, Tokorozawa, Saitama 359-1192 (Japan); Taguchi, Sadayoshi [Faculty of Sport and Health Science, Ritsumeikan University, 1-1-1 Nojihigashi, Kusatsu, Shiga 525-8577 (Japan)

2013-10-11

Highlights: •Long-term hypoxia decreased the size of LDs and lipid storage in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. •Long-term hypoxia increased basal lipolysis in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. •Hypoxia decreased lipid-associated proteins in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. •Hypoxia decreased basal glucose uptake and lipogenic proteins in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. •Hypoxia-mediated lipogenesis may be an attractive therapeutic target against obesity. -- Abstract: Background: A previous study has demonstrated that endurance training under hypoxia results in a greater reduction in body fat mass compared to exercise under normoxia. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms that underlie this hypoxia-mediated reduction in fat mass remain uncertain. Here, we examine the effects of modest hypoxia on adipocyte function. Methods: Differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes were incubated at 5% O{sub 2} for 1 week (long-term hypoxia, HL) or one day (short-term hypoxia, HS) and compared with a normoxia control (NC). Results: HL, but not HS, resulted in a significant reduction in lipid droplet size and triglyceride content (by 50%) compared to NC (p < 0.01). As estimated by glycerol release, isoproterenol-induced lipolysis was significantly lowered by hypoxia, whereas the release of free fatty acids under the basal condition was prominently enhanced with HL compared to NC or HS (p < 0.01). Lipolysis-associated proteins, such as perilipin 1 and hormone-sensitive lipase, were unchanged, whereas adipose triglyceride lipase and its activator protein CGI-58 were decreased with HL in comparison to NC. Interestingly, such lipogenic proteins as fatty acid synthase, lipin-1, and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma were decreased. Furthermore, the uptake of glucose, the major precursor of 3-glycerol phosphate for triglyceride synthesis, was significantly reduced in HL compared to NC or HS (p < 0.01). Conclusion: We conclude that hypoxia has a direct impact on reducing the triglyceride content and lipid droplet size via

Modest hypoxia significantly reduces triglyceride content and lipid droplet size in 3T3-L1 adipocytes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hashimoto, Takeshi; Yokokawa, Takumi; Endo, Yuriko; Iwanaka, Nobumasa; Higashida, Kazuhiko; Taguchi, Sadayoshi

2013-01-01

Highlights: •Long-term hypoxia decreased the size of LDs and lipid storage in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. •Long-term hypoxia increased basal lipolysis in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. •Hypoxia decreased lipid-associated proteins in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. •Hypoxia decreased basal glucose uptake and lipogenic proteins in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. •Hypoxia-mediated lipogenesis may be an attractive therapeutic target against obesity. -- Abstract: Background: A previous study has demonstrated that endurance training under hypoxia results in a greater reduction in body fat mass compared to exercise under normoxia. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms that underlie this hypoxia-mediated reduction in fat mass remain uncertain. Here, we examine the effects of modest hypoxia on adipocyte function. Methods: Differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes were incubated at 5% O 2 for 1 week (long-term hypoxia, HL) or one day (short-term hypoxia, HS) and compared with a normoxia control (NC). Results: HL, but not HS, resulted in a significant reduction in lipid droplet size and triglyceride content (by 50%) compared to NC (p < 0.01). As estimated by glycerol release, isoproterenol-induced lipolysis was significantly lowered by hypoxia, whereas the release of free fatty acids under the basal condition was prominently enhanced with HL compared to NC or HS (p < 0.01). Lipolysis-associated proteins, such as perilipin 1 and hormone-sensitive lipase, were unchanged, whereas adipose triglyceride lipase and its activator protein CGI-58 were decreased with HL in comparison to NC. Interestingly, such lipogenic proteins as fatty acid synthase, lipin-1, and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma were decreased. Furthermore, the uptake of glucose, the major precursor of 3-glycerol phosphate for triglyceride synthesis, was significantly reduced in HL compared to NC or HS (p < 0.01). Conclusion: We conclude that hypoxia has a direct impact on reducing the triglyceride content and lipid droplet size via

Surface-induced patterns from evaporating droplets of aqueous carbon nanotube dispersions

KAUST Repository

Zeng, Hongbo; Kristiansen, Kai De Lange; Wang, Peng; Bergli, Joakim; Israelachvili, Jacob N.

2011-01-01

Evaporation of aqueous droplets of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) coated with a physisorbed layer of humic acid (HA) on a partially hydrophilic substrate induces the formation of a film of CNTs. Here, we investigate the role that the global geometry of the substrate surfaces has on the structure of the CNT film. On a flat mica or silica surface, the evaporation of a convex droplet of the CNT dispersion induces the well-known "coffee ring", while evaporation of a concave droplet (capillary meniscus) of the CNT dispersion in a wedge of two planar mica sheets or between two crossed-cylinder sheets induces a large area (>mm 2) of textured or patterned films characterized by different short- and long-range orientational and positional ordering of the CNTs. The resulting patterns appear to be determined by two competing or cooperative sedimentation mechanisms: (1) capillary forces between CNTs giving micrometer-sized filaments parallel to the boundary line of the evaporating droplet and (2) fingering instability at the boundary line of the evaporating droplet and subsequent pinning of CNTs on the surface giving micrometer-sized filaments of CNTs perpendicular to this boundary line. The interplay between substrate surface geometry and sedimentation mechanisms gives an extra control parameter for manipulating patterns of self-assembling nanoparticles at substrate surfaces. © 2011 American Chemical Society.

Surface-induced patterns from evaporating droplets of aqueous carbon nanotube dispersions

KAUST Repository

Zeng, Hongbo

2011-06-07

Evaporation of aqueous droplets of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) coated with a physisorbed layer of humic acid (HA) on a partially hydrophilic substrate induces the formation of a film of CNTs. Here, we investigate the role that the global geometry of the substrate surfaces has on the structure of the CNT film. On a flat mica or silica surface, the evaporation of a convex droplet of the CNT dispersion induces the well-known "coffee ring", while evaporation of a concave droplet (capillary meniscus) of the CNT dispersion in a wedge of two planar mica sheets or between two crossed-cylinder sheets induces a large area (>mm 2) of textured or patterned films characterized by different short- and long-range orientational and positional ordering of the CNTs. The resulting patterns appear to be determined by two competing or cooperative sedimentation mechanisms: (1) capillary forces between CNTs giving micrometer-sized filaments parallel to the boundary line of the evaporating droplet and (2) fingering instability at the boundary line of the evaporating droplet and subsequent pinning of CNTs on the surface giving micrometer-sized filaments of CNTs perpendicular to this boundary line. The interplay between substrate surface geometry and sedimentation mechanisms gives an extra control parameter for manipulating patterns of self-assembling nanoparticles at substrate surfaces. © 2011 American Chemical Society.

Ultrahigh throughput microfluidic platform for in-air production of microscale droplets

Science.gov (United States)

Tirandazi, Pooyan; Healy, John; Hidrovo, Carlos H.

2017-11-01

In-air droplet formation inside microfluidic networks is an alternative technique to the conventional in-liquid systems for creating uniform, microscale droplets. Recent works have highlighted and quantified the use of a gaseous continuous phase for controlled generation of droplets in the Dripping regime in planar structures. Here we demonstrate a new class of non-planar droplet-based systems which rely on controlled breakup of a liquid microjet within a high speed flow of air inside a confined microfluidic flow-focusing PDMS channel. We investigate the physics of confined gas-liquid flows and the effect of geometry on the behavior of a liquid water jet in a gaseous flow. Droplet breakup in the Jetting regime is studied both numerically and experimentally and the results are compared. We show droplet production capability at rates higher than 100 KHz with droplets ranging from 15-30 μm in diameter and a polydispersity index of less than 15%. This work represents an important investigation into the Jetting regime in confined microchannels. The ability to control jet behavior, generation rate, and droplet size in gas-liquid microflows will further expand the potential applications of this system for high throughput operations in material synthesis and biochemical analysis. We acknowledge funding support from NSF CAREER Award Grant CBET-1522841.

Grouping and trapping of evaporating droplets in an oscillating gas flow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Katoshevski, David; Shakked, Tal; Sazhin, Sergei S.; Crua, Cyril; Heikal, Morgan R.

2008-01-01

A new approach to the analysis of droplet grouping in an oscillating gas flow is suggested. This is based on the investigation of droplet trajectories in the frame of reference moving with the phase velocity of the wave. Although the equations involved are relatively simple, the analysis shows distinctive characteristics of grouping and non-grouping cases. In the case of grouping, droplet trajectories converge to the points for which the ratio of flow velocity in this frame of reference and the amplitude of flow oscillations is less than 1, and the cosine of the arc sine of this ratio is positive. In the case of non-grouping, droplet trajectories in this frame of reference oscillate around the translational velocity close to the velocity of flow in the same frame of reference. The effect of droplet size on the grouping pattern is investigated. It has been pointed out that for the smaller droplets much more stable grouping is observed. The effect of droplet evaporation is studied in the limiting case when the contribution of the heat-up period can be ignored. It is shown that evaporation can lead to droplet grouping even in the case when the non-evaporating droplets are not grouped. This is related to the reduction in droplet diameter during the evaporation process. Coupling between gas and droplets is shown to decrease the grouping tendency. A qualitative agreement between predictions of the model and in-house experimental observations referring to Diesel engine sprays has been demonstrated

A scanning tunneling microscope with a scanning range from hundreds of micrometers down to nanometer resolution.

Science.gov (United States)

Kalkan, Fatih; Zaum, Christopher; Morgenstern, Karina

2012-10-01

A beetle type stage and a flexure scanning stage are combined to form a two stages scanning tunneling microscope (STM). It operates at room temperature in ultrahigh vacuum and is capable of scanning areas up to 300 μm × 450 μm down to resolution on the nanometer scale. This multi-scale STM has been designed and constructed in order to investigate prestructured metallic or semiconducting micro- and nano-structures in real space from atomic-sized structures up to the large-scale environment. The principle of the instrument is demonstrated on two different systems. Gallium nitride based micropillars demonstrate scan areas up to hundreds of micrometers; a Au(111) surface demonstrates nanometer resolution.

Nanometer-scale temperature measurements of phase change memory and carbon nanomaterials

Science.gov (United States)

Grosse, Kyle Lane

This work investigates nanometer-scale thermometry and thermal transport in new electronic devices to mitigate future electronic energy consumption. Nanometer-scale thermal transport is integral to electronic energy consumption and limits current electronic performance. New electronic devices are required to improve future electronic performance and energy consumption, but heat generation is not well understood in these new technologies. Thermal transport deviates significantly at the nanometer-scale from macroscopic systems as low dimensional materials, grain structure, interfaces, and thermoelectric effects can dominate electronic performance. This work develops and implements an atomic force microscopy (AFM) based nanometer-scale thermometry technique, known as scanning Joule expansion microscopy (SJEM), to measure nanometer-scale heat generation in new graphene and phase change memory (PCM) devices, which have potential to improve performance and energy consumption of future electronics. Nanometer-scale thermometry of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) grown graphene measured the heat generation at graphene wrinkles and grain boundaries (GBs). Graphene is an atomically-thin, two dimensional (2D) carbon material with promising applications in new electronic devices. Comparing measurements and predictions of CVD graphene heating predicted the resistivity, voltage drop, and temperature rise across the one dimensional (1D) GB defects. This work measured the nanometer-scale temperature rise of thin film Ge2Sb2Te5 (GST) based PCM due to Joule, thermoelectric, interface, and grain structure effects. PCM has potential to reduce energy consumption and improve performance of future electronic memory. A new nanometer-scale thermometry technique is developed for independent and direct observation of Joule and thermoelectric effects at the nanometer-scale, and the technique is demonstrated by SJEM measurements of GST devices. Uniform heating and GST properties are observed for

Molecular dynamics simulations for the motion of evaporative droplets driven by thermal gradients along nanochannels

KAUST Repository

Wu, Congmin

2013-04-04

For a one-component fluid on a solid substrate, a thermal singularity may occur at the contact line where the liquid-vapor interface intersects the solid surface. Physically, the liquid-vapor interface is almost isothermal at the liquid-vapor coexistence temperature in one-component fluids while the solid surface is almost isothermal for solids of high thermal conductivity. Therefore, a temperature discontinuity is formed if the two isothermal interfaces are of different temperatures and intersect at the contact line. This leads to the so-called thermal singularity. The localized hydrodynamics involving evaporation/condensation near the contact line leads to a contact angle depending on the underlying substrate temperature. This dependence has been shown to lead to the motion of liquid droplets on solid substrates with thermal gradients (Xu and Qian 2012 Phys. Rev. E 85 061603). In the present work, we carry out molecular dynamics (MD) simulations as numerical experiments to further confirm the predictions made from our previous continuum hydrodynamic modeling and simulations, which are actually semi-quantitatively accurate down to the small length scales in the problem. Using MD simulations, we investigate the motion of evaporative droplets in one-component Lennard-Jones fluids confined in nanochannels with thermal gradients. The droplet is found to migrate in the direction of decreasing temperature of solid walls, with a migration velocity linearly proportional to the temperature gradient. This agrees with the prediction of our continuum model. We then measure the effect of droplet size on the droplet motion. It is found that the droplet mobility is inversely proportional to a dimensionless coefficient associated with the total rate of dissipation due to droplet movement. Our results show that this coefficient is of order unity and increases with the droplet size for the small droplets (∼10 nm) simulated in the present work. These findings are in semi

Effect of Latent Heat Released by Freezing Droplets during Frost Wave Propagation.

Science.gov (United States)

Chavan, Shreyas; Park, Deokgeun; Singla, Nitish; Sokalski, Peter; Boyina, Kalyan; Miljkovic, Nenad

2018-05-21

Frost spreads on nonwetting surfaces during condensation frosting via an interdroplet frost wave. When a supercooled condensate water droplet freezes on a hydrophobic or superhydrophobic surface, neighboring droplets still in the liquid phase begin to evaporate. Two possible mechanisms govern the evaporation of neighboring water droplets: (1) The difference in saturation pressure of the water vapor surrounding the liquid and frozen droplets induces a vapor pressure gradient, and (2) the latent heat released by freezing droplets locally heats the substrate, leading to evaporation of nearby droplets. The relative significance of these two mechanisms is still not understood. Here, we study the significance of the latent heat released into the substrate by freezing droplets, and its effect on adjacent droplet evaporation, by studying the dynamics of individual water droplet freezing on aluminum-, copper-, and glass-based hydrophobic and superhydrophobic surfaces. The latent heat flux released into the substrate was calculated from the measured droplet sizes and the respective freezing times ( t f ), defined as the time from initial ice nucleation within the droplet to complete droplet freezing. To probe the effect of latent heat release, we performed three-dimensional transient finite element simulations showing that the transfer of latent heat to neighboring droplets is insignificant and accounts for a negligible fraction of evaporation during microscale frost wave propagation. Furthermore, we studied the effect of substrate thermal conductivity on the transfer of latent heat transfer to neighboring droplets by investigating the velocity of ice bridge formation. The velocity of the ice bridge was independent of the substrate thermal conductivity, indicating that adjacent droplet evaporation during condensation frosting is governed solely by vapor pressure gradients. This study not only provides key insights into the individual droplet freezing process but also

The dynamics of droplets in moist Rayleigh-Benard turbulence

Science.gov (United States)

Chandrakar, Kamal Kant; van der Voort, Dennis; Kinney, Greg; Cantrell, Will; Shaw, Raymond

2017-11-01

Clouds are an intricate part of the climate, and strongly influence atmospheric dynamics and radiative balances. While properties such as cloud albedo and precipitation rate are large scale effects, these properties are determined by dynamics on the microscale, such droplet sizes, liquid water content, etc. The growth of droplets from condensation is dependent on a multitude of parameters, such as aerosol concentration (nucleation sites) and turbulence (scalar fluctuations and coalescence). However, the precise mechanism behind droplet growth and clustering in a cloud environment is still unclear. In this investigation we use a facility called the Pi Chamber to generate a (miniature) cloud in a laboratory setting with known boundary conditions, such as aerosol concentration, temperature, and humidity. Through the use of particle imaging velocimetry (PIV) on the droplets generated in the cloud, we can investigate the dynamics of these cloud droplets in the convective (Rayleigh-Benard) turbulence generated through an induced temperature gradient. We show the influence of the temperature gradient and Froude number (gravity forces) on the changing turbulence anisotropy, large scale circulation, and small-scale dissipation rates. This work was supported by National Science Foundation Grant AGS-1623429.

Comparison of various droplet breakup models in gas-liquid flows in high-pressure environments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khaleghi, H.; Ganji, D. D.; Omidvar, A.

2008-01-01

Droplet breakup affects spray penetration and evaporation, and plays a critical role in engine efficiency. The purpose of this research was to examine the rate of penetration and evaporation of droplets in a combustion chamber, and the efficiency of the engine when liquid jet is injected into the compressed gas chamber in an axi-symmetrical fashion leading to a turbulent and unsteady flow. As a result of interaction with the highly compressed air in the chamber, the liquid jet breaks up and forms minute droplets. These particles will in turn breakup because of aerodynamic forces, producing even smaller droplets. A number of models are available for analyzing the breakup of droplets; however, each model is typically reliable only over a limited parameter range. In this research three well-known models are applied for droplet breakup modeling and their results are compared. To obtain the details of the flow field, the Eulerian gas phase mass, momentum and energy conservation equations, as well as equations governing the transport of turbulence and fuel vapor mass fraction are solved together with equations of trajectory, momentum, mass and energy conservation for liquid droplets in Lagrangian form. The numerical solution is performed using the finite volume method and EPISO (Engine-PISO) algorithm. The results obtained from the models show that the breakup process in a high pressure environment significantly affects the penetration and evaporation rates of the spray, and the droplet size is determined by the balance between breakup and coalescence processes. It is also shown that the details of atomization in the nozzle do not significantly influence the ultimate size of droplets. It should be mentioned that droplet collision modeling has been taken into account in the computer code and is activated wherever necessary

Fast-switching optically isotropic liquid crystal nano-droplets with improved depolarization and Kerr effect by doping high k nanoparticles.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Byeonggon; Kim, Hyun Gyu; Shim, Gyu-Yeop; Park, Ji-Sub; Joo, Kyung-Il; Lee, Dong-Jin; Lee, Joun-Ho; Baek, Ji-Ho; Kim, Byeong Koo; Choi, Yoonseuk; Kim, Hak-Rin

2018-01-10

We proposed and analyzed an optically isotropic nano-droplet liquid crystal (LC) doped with high k nanoparticles (NPs), exhibiting enhanced Kerr effects, which could be operated with reduced driving voltages. For enhancing the contrast ratio together with the light efficiencies, the LC droplet sizes were adjusted to be shorter than the wavelength of visible light to reduce depolarization effects by optical scattering of the LC droplets. Based on the optical analysis of the depolarization effects, the influence of the relationship between the LC droplet size and the NP doping ratio on the Kerr effect change was investigated.

Droplet generating device for droplet-based μTAS using electro-conjugate fluid

Science.gov (United States)

Iijima, Y.; Takemura, K.; Edamura, K.

2017-05-01

Droplet-based μTAS, which carries out biochemical inspection and synthesis by handling samples as droplets on a single chip, has been attracting attentions in recent years. Although miniaturization of a chip is progressed, there are some problems in miniaturization of a whole system because of the necessity to connect syringe pumps to the chip. Thus, this study aims to realize a novel droplets generating device for droplet-based μTAS using electro-conjugate fluid (ECF). The ECF is a dielectric liquid generating a powerful flow when subjected to high DC voltage. The ECF flow generation allows us to realize a tiny hydraulic power source. Using the ECF flow, we can develop a droplet generating device for droplet-based μTAS by placing minute electrode pairs in flow channels. The device contains two channels filled with the ECF, which are dispersed and continuous phases meeting at a T-junction. When a sample in the dispersed phase is injected by the ECF flow to the continuous phase at T-junction, droplets are generated by shearing force between the two phases. We conducted droplet generating experiment and confirmed that droplets are successfully generated when the flow rate of the continuous phase is between 90 and 360 mm3 s-1, and the flow rate of the dispersed phase is between 10 and 40 mm3 s-1. We also confirmed that the droplet diameter and the droplet production rate are controllable by tuning the applied voltage to the electrode pairs.

Photoinduced non-linear optical effects in the ZnS-Al, In-Sn doped film-glass nanometer-sized interfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kityk, I.V.; Makowska-Janusik, M.; Ebothe, J.; El Hichou, A.; El Idrissi, B.; Addou, M.

2002-01-01

The effective nanometer-sized thin layer (about 1-2 nm) located between a crystalline ZnS film and glass substrate is studied here using photoinduced optical and second-order non-linear optical (second harmonic generation (SHG) and electrooptics effects) techniques. A photoinduced shift of the effective energy gap is found for the first time in ZnS films doped with the same amount (4 at.%) of different elements, namely, In, Al and Sn. The photoinduced second-order non-linear optical properties (linear electrooptics (LEO) and SHG) of the specimens show a good correlation with the corresponding features of the linear optical susceptibilities, particularly, the imaginary part of dielectric susceptibility near the absorption edge. The maximal response of the photoinduced signal is observed for the pump-probe delaying time of about 20 ps. The performed experimental measurements indicate that the observed effects are stimulated by two factors: the first one is connected with the interface potential gradients at the glass-ZnS film boarder; the second one is a consequence of the additional polarization due to the insertion of Al, In and Sn atoms. The observed phenomenon may be proposed as a sensitive tool for investigation of thin semiconducting-glass interface layer. Moreover, such nanolayers may be applied in quantum electronic devices

Self-Propelled Motion of Monodisperse Underwater Oil Droplets Formed by a Microfluidic Device.

Science.gov (United States)

Ueno, Naoko; Banno, Taisuke; Asami, Arisa; Kazayama, Yuki; Morimoto, Yuya; Osaki, Toshihisa; Takeuchi, Shoji; Kitahata, Hiroyuki; Toyota, Taro

2017-06-06

We evaluated the speed profile of self-propelled underwater oil droplets comprising a hydrophobic aldehyde derivative in terms of their diameter and the surrounding surfactant concentration using a microfluidic device. We found that the speed of the oil droplets is dependent on not only the surfactant concentration but also the droplet size in a certain range of the surfactant concentration. This tendency is interpreted in terms of combination of the oil and surfactant affording spontaneous emulsification in addition to the Marangoni effect.

Drop size measurements and entrainment in APR1400 during LBLOCA reflood phase

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Eo Hwak

2010-02-15

A study has been performed to investigate droplet size in the nuclear reactor of APR1400 during LBLOCA reflood phase and to develop droplet entrainment and deposition models for SPACE (Safety and Performance CodE) which is a safety analysis tool for PWR being developed in Korea. A freezing technique for measuring the size of droplets was developed to obtain the droplet size distribution in horizontal annular flow in a pipe with a 37.1 mm diameter. Droplets are frozen by using an extremely low temperature nitrogen gas with liquid film extraction. They are then photographed with a microscope and a CCD camera and measured by means of an image process. The results are compared with various experimental data. The droplet sizes measured by the freezing technique are comparable with those measured by other methods at a high superficial air velocity (of 50 m/s). However, because of the film extraction problem, the droplet sizes measured at a low superficial air velocity of less than 40 m/s are higher than those measured by other methods. A present method suggested for predicting the Sauter mean diameter is based on the maximum droplet size correlation for the experimental data, with and without liquid film extraction. The average droplet size is remarkably smaller downstream of the liquid film extractor because large droplets from the liquid film are excluded. In order to understand and to predict a heat transfer between superheated steam and droplets properly during reflood phase of LBLOCA, it is very important to measure broken droplet sizes by spacer grids. A study, therefore, has been performed to investigate droplet size in rod bundles with spacer grids and to develop a spacer grid droplet breakup model for safety analysis codes. Experiments were conducted with liquid droplets (SMD of 300∼700 μm) and various spacer grids at superficial air velocity of 10 m/s and 20 m/s based on FLECHT SEASET. The test channel and the grids were heated to 150 .deg. C to prevent

Drop size measurements and entrainment in APR1400 during LBLOCA reflood phase

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Eo Hwak

2010-02-01

A study has been performed to investigate droplet size in the nuclear reactor of APR1400 during LBLOCA reflood phase and to develop droplet entrainment and deposition models for SPACE (Safety and Performance CodE) which is a safety analysis tool for PWR being developed in Korea. A freezing technique for measuring the size of droplets was developed to obtain the droplet size distribution in horizontal annular flow in a pipe with a 37.1 mm diameter. Droplets are frozen by using an extremely low temperature nitrogen gas with liquid film extraction. They are then photographed with a microscope and a CCD camera and measured by means of an image process. The results are compared with various experimental data. The droplet sizes measured by the freezing technique are comparable with those measured by other methods at a high superficial air velocity (of 50 m/s). However, because of the film extraction problem, the droplet sizes measured at a low superficial air velocity of less than 40 m/s are higher than those measured by other methods. A present method suggested for predicting the Sauter mean diameter is based on the maximum droplet size correlation for the experimental data, with and without liquid film extraction. The average droplet size is remarkably smaller downstream of the liquid film extractor because large droplets from the liquid film are excluded. In order to understand and to predict a heat transfer between superheated steam and droplets properly during reflood phase of LBLOCA, it is very important to measure broken droplet sizes by spacer grids. A study, therefore, has been performed to investigate droplet size in rod bundles with spacer grids and to develop a spacer grid droplet breakup model for safety analysis codes. Experiments were conducted with liquid droplets (SMD of 300∼700 μm) and various spacer grids at superficial air velocity of 10 m/s and 20 m/s based on FLECHT SEASET. The test channel and the grids were heated to 150 .deg. C to prevent

Direct numerical simulation of droplet-laden isotropic turbulence

Science.gov (United States)

Dodd, Michael S.

Interaction of liquid droplets with turbulence is important in numerous applications ranging from rain formation to oil spills to spray combustion. The physical mechanisms of droplet-turbulence interaction are largely unknown, especially when compared to that of solid particles. Compared to solid particles, droplets can deform, break up, coalesce and have internal fluid circulation. The main goal of this work is to investigate using direct numerical simulation (DNS) the physical mechanisms of droplet-turbulence interaction, both for non-evaporating and evaporating droplets. To achieve this objective, we develop and couple a new pressure-correction method with the volume-of-fluid (VoF) method for simulating incompressible two-fluid flows. The method's main advantage is that the variable coefficient Poisson equation that arises in solving the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations for two-fluid flows is reduced to a constant coefficient equation. This equation can then be solved directly using, e.g., the FFT-based parallel Poisson solver. For a 10243 mesh, our new pressure-correction method using a fast Poisson solver is ten to forty times faster than the standard pressure-correction method using multigrid. Using the coupled pressure-correction and VoF method, we perform direct numerical simulations (DNS) of 3130 finite-size, non-evaporating droplets of diameter approximately equal to the Taylor lengthscale and with 5% droplet volume fraction in decaying isotropic turbulence at initial Taylor-scale Reynolds number Relambda = 83. In the droplet-laden cases, we vary one of the following three parameters: the droplet Weber number based on the r.m.s. velocity of turbulence (0.1 ≤ Werms ≤ 5), the droplet- to carrier-fluid density ratio (1 ≤ rhod/rho c ≤ 100) or the droplet- to carrier-fluid viscosity ratio (1 ≤ mud/muc ≤ 100). We derive the turbulence kinetic energy (TKE) equations for the two-fluid, carrier-fluid and droplet-fluid flow. These equations allow

Quantifying the role of noise on droplet decisions in bifurcating microchannels

Science.gov (United States)

Norouzi Darabad, Masoud; Vaughn, Mark; Vanapalli, Siva

2017-11-01

While many aspects of path selection of droplets flowing through a bifurcating microchannel have been studied, there are still unaddressed issues in predicting and controlling droplet traffic. One of the more important is understanding origin of aperiodic patterns. As a new tool to investigate this phenomena we propose monitoring the continuous time response of pressure fluctuations at different locations. Then we use time-series analysis to investigate the dynamics of the system. We suggest that natural system noise is the cause of irregularity in the traffic patterns. Using a mathematical model, we investigate the effect of noise on droplet decisions at the junction. Noise can be derived from different sources including droplet size variation, droplet spacing, and pump induced velocity fluctuation. By analyzing different situations we explain system behavior. We also investigate the ``memory'' of a microfluidic system in terms of the resistance to perturbations that quantify the allowable deviation in operating condition before the system changes state.

Cloud Droplet Size and Liquid Water Path Retrievals From Zenith Radiance Measurements: Examples From the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program and the Aerosol Robotic Network

Science.gov (United States)

Chiu, J. C.; Marshak, A.; Huang, C.-H.; Varnai, T.; Hogan, R. J.; Giles, D. M.; Holben, B. N.; Knyazikhin, Y.; O'Connor, E. J.; Wiscombe, W. J.

2012-01-01

The ground-based Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program (ARM) and NASA Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) routinely monitor clouds using zenith radiances at visible and near-infrared wavelengths. Using the transmittance calculated from such measurements, we have developed a new retrieval method for cloud effective droplet size and conducted extensive tests for non-precipitating liquid water clouds. The underlying principle is to combine a water-absorbing wavelength (i.e. 1640 nm) with a nonwater-absorbing wavelength for acquiring information on cloud droplet size and optical depth. For simulated stratocumulus clouds with liquid water path less than 300 g/sq m and horizontal resolution of 201m, the retrieval method underestimates the mean effective radius by 0.8 m, with a root-mean-squared error of 1.7 m and a relative deviation of 13 %. For actual observations with a liquid water path less than 450 gm.2 at the ARM Oklahoma site during 2007-2008, our 1.5 min-averaged retrievals are generally larger by around 1 m than those from combined ground-based cloud radar and microwave radiometer at a 5min temporal resolution. We also compared our retrievals to those from combined shortwave flux and microwave observations for relatively homogeneous clouds, showing that the bias between these two retrieval sets is negligible, but the error of 2.6 m and the relative deviation of 22% are larger than those found in our simulation case. Finally, the transmittance-based cloud effective droplet radii agree to better than 11% with satellite observations and have a negative bias of 1 m. Overall, the retrieval method provides reasonable cloud effective radius estimates, which can enhance the cloud products of both ARM and AERONET.

Models of lipid droplets growth and fission in adipocyte cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boschi, Federico, E-mail: federico.boschi@univr.it [Department of Computer Science, University of Verona, Strada Le Grazie 15, 37134 Verona (Italy); Rizzatti, Vanni; Zamboni, Mauro [Department of Medicine, Geriatric Section, University of Verona, Piazzale Stefani 1, 37126 Verona (Italy); Sbarbati, Andrea [Department of Neurological and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Strada Le Grazie 8, 37134 Verona (Italy)

2015-08-15

Lipid droplets (LD) are spherical cellular inclusion devoted to lipids storage. It is well known that excessive accumulation of lipids leads to several human worldwide diseases like obesity, type 2 diabetes, hepatic steatosis and atherosclerosis. LDs' size range from fraction to one hundred of micrometers in adipocytes and is related to the lipid content, but their growth is still a puzzling question. It has been suggested that LDs can grow in size due to the fusion process by which a larger LD is obtained by the merging of two smaller LDs, but these events seems to be rare and difficult to be observed. Many other processes are thought to be involved in the number and growth of LDs, like the de novo formation and the growth through additional neutral lipid deposition in pre-existing droplets. Moreover the number and size of LDs are influenced by the catabolism and the absorption or interaction with other organelles. The comprehension of these processes could help in the confinement of the pathologies related to lipid accumulation. In this study the LDs' size distribution, number and the total volume of immature (n=12), mature (n=12, 10-days differentiated) and lipolytic (n=12) 3T3-L1 adipocytes were considered. More than 11,000 LDs were measured in the 36 cells after Oil Red O staining. In a previous work Monte Carlo simulations were used to mimic the fusion process alone between LDs. We found that, considering the fusion as the only process acting on the LDs, the size distribution in mature adipocytes can be obtained with numerical simulation starting from the size distribution in immature cells provided a very high rate of fusion events. In this paper Monte Carlo simulations were developed to mimic the interaction between LDs taking into account many other processes in addition to fusion (de novo formation and the growth through additional neutral lipid deposition in pre-existing droplets) in order to reproduce the LDs growth and we also simulated the

Models of lipid droplets growth and fission in adipocyte cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boschi, Federico; Rizzatti, Vanni; Zamboni, Mauro; Sbarbati, Andrea

2015-01-01

Lipid droplets (LD) are spherical cellular inclusion devoted to lipids storage. It is well known that excessive accumulation of lipids leads to several human worldwide diseases like obesity, type 2 diabetes, hepatic steatosis and atherosclerosis. LDs' size range from fraction to one hundred of micrometers in adipocytes and is related to the lipid content, but their growth is still a puzzling question. It has been suggested that LDs can grow in size due to the fusion process by which a larger LD is obtained by the merging of two smaller LDs, but these events seems to be rare and difficult to be observed. Many other processes are thought to be involved in the number and growth of LDs, like the de novo formation and the growth through additional neutral lipid deposition in pre-existing droplets. Moreover the number and size of LDs are influenced by the catabolism and the absorption or interaction with other organelles. The comprehension of these processes could help in the confinement of the pathologies related to lipid accumulation. In this study the LDs' size distribution, number and the total volume of immature (n=12), mature (n=12, 10-days differentiated) and lipolytic (n=12) 3T3-L1 adipocytes were considered. More than 11,000 LDs were measured in the 36 cells after Oil Red O staining. In a previous work Monte Carlo simulations were used to mimic the fusion process alone between LDs. We found that, considering the fusion as the only process acting on the LDs, the size distribution in mature adipocytes can be obtained with numerical simulation starting from the size distribution in immature cells provided a very high rate of fusion events. In this paper Monte Carlo simulations were developed to mimic the interaction between LDs taking into account many other processes in addition to fusion (de novo formation and the growth through additional neutral lipid deposition in pre-existing droplets) in order to reproduce the LDs growth and we also simulated the

Study of first electronic transition and hydrogen bonding state of ultra-thin water layer of nanometer thickness on an α-alumina surface by far-ultraviolet spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Goto, Takeyoshi; Kinugasa, Tomoya

2018-05-01

The first electronic transition (A˜ ← X˜) and the hydrogen bonding state of an ultra-thin water layer of nanometer thickness between two α-alumina surfaces (0.5-20 nm) were studied using far-ultraviolet (FUV) spectroscopy in the wavelength range 140-180 nm. The ultra-thin water layer of nanometer thickness was prepared by squeezing a water droplet ( 1 μL) between a highly polished α-alumina prism and an α-alumina plate using a high pressure clamp ( 4.7 MPa), and the FUV spectra of the water layer at different thicknesses were measured using the attenuated total reflection method. As the water layer became thinner, the A˜ ← X˜ bands were gradually shifted to higher or lower energy relative to that of bulk water; at thicknesses smaller than 4 nm, these shifts were substantial (0.1-0.2 eV) in either case. The FUV spectra of the water layer with thickness lost at thicknesses below 4 nm, because of steric hydration forces between the α-alumina surfaces.

Difference in growth and coalescing patterns of droplets on bi-philic surfaces with varying spatial distribution.

Science.gov (United States)

Garimella, Martand Mayukh; Koppu, Sudheer; Kadlaskar, Shantanu Shrikant; Pillutla, Venkata; Abhijeet; Choi, Wonjae

2017-11-01

This paper reports the condensation and subsequent motion of water droplets on bi-philic surfaces, surfaces that are patterned with regions of different wettability. Bi-philic surfaces can enhance the water collection efficiency: droplets condensing on hydrophobic regions wick into hydrophilic drain channels when droplets grow to a certain size, renewing the condensation on the dry hydrophobic region. The onset of drain phenomenon can be triggered by multiple events with distinct nature ranging from gravity, direct contact between a droplet and a drain channel, to a mutual coalescence between droplets. This paper focuses on the effect of the length scale of hydrophobic regions on the dynamics of mutual coalescence between droplets and subsequent drainage. The main hypothesis was that, when the drop size is sufficient, the kinetic energy associated with a coalescence of droplets may cause dynamic advancing of a newly formed drop, leading to further coalescence with nearby droplets and ultimately to a chain reaction. We fabricate bi-philic surfaces with hydrophilic and hydrophobic stripes, and the result confirms that coalescing droplets, when the length scale of droplets increases beyond 0.2mm, indeed display dynamic expansion and chain reaction. Multiple droplets can thus migrate to hydrophilic drain simultaneously even when the initial motion of the droplets was not triggered by the direct contact between the droplet and the hydrophilic drain. Efficiency of drain due to mutual coalescence of droplets varies depending on the length scale of bi-philic patterns, and the drain phenomenon reaches its peak when the width of hydrophobic stripes is between 800μm and 1mm. The Ohnesorge number of droplets draining on noted surfaces is between 0.0042 and 0.0037 respectively. The observed length scale of bi-philic patterns matches that on the Stenocara beetle's fog harvesting back surface. This match between length scales suggests that the surface of the insect is optimized

Printed droplet microfluidics for on demand dispensing of picoliter droplets and cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Cole, Russell H; Tang, Shi-Yang; Siltanen, Christian A; Shahi, Payam; Zhang, Jesse Q; Poust, Sean; Gartner, Zev J; Abate, Adam R

2017-08-15

Although the elementary unit of biology is the cell, high-throughput methods for the microscale manipulation of cells and reagents are limited. The existing options either are slow, lack single-cell specificity, or use fluid volumes out of scale with those of cells. Here we present printed droplet microfluidics, a technology to dispense picoliter droplets and cells with deterministic control. The core technology is a fluorescence-activated droplet sorter coupled to a specialized substrate that together act as a picoliter droplet and single-cell printer, enabling high-throughput generation of intricate arrays of droplets, cells, and microparticles. Printed droplet microfluidics provides a programmable and robust technology to construct arrays of defined cell and reagent combinations and to integrate multiple measurement modalities together in a single assay.

Morphing and vectoring impacting droplets by means of wettability-engineered surfaces.

Science.gov (United States)

Schutzius, Thomas M; Graeber, Gustav; Elsharkawy, Mohamed; Oreluk, James; Megaridis, Constantine M

2014-11-13

Driven by its importance in nature and technology, droplet impact on solid surfaces has been studied for decades. To date, research on control of droplet impact outcome has focused on optimizing pre-impact parameters, e.g., droplet size and velocity. Here we follow a different, post-impact, surface engineering approach yielding controlled vectoring and morphing of droplets during and after impact. Surfaces with patterned domains of extreme wettability (high or low) are fabricated and implemented for controlling the impact process during and even after rebound--a previously neglected aspect of impact studies on non-wetting surfaces. For non-rebound cases, droplets can be morphed from spheres to complex shapes--without unwanted loss of liquid. The procedure relies on competition between surface tension and fluid inertial forces, and harnesses the naturally occurring contact-line pinning mechanisms at sharp wettability changes to create viable dry regions in the spread liquid volume. Utilizing the same forces central to morphing, we demonstrate the ability to rebound orthogonally-impacting droplets with an additional non-orthogonal velocity component. We theoretically analyze this capability and derive a We(-.25) dependence of the lateral restitution coefficient. This study offers wettability-engineered surfaces as a new approach to manipulate impacting droplet microvolumes, with ramifications for surface microfluidics and fluid-assisted templating applications.

Closed compact Taylor's droplets in a phase-separated lamellar-sponge mixture under shear flow

Science.gov (United States)

Courbin, L.; Cristobal, G.; Rouch, J.; Panizza, P.

2001-09-01

We have studied by optical microscopy, small-angle light scattering, and rheology, the behavior under shear flow of a phase-separated lamellar-sponge (Lα - L3) ternary mixture. We observe in the Lα-rich region (ΦLα > 80%) the existence of a Newtonian assembly made of closed compact monodisperse lamellar droplets immersed in the sponge phase. Contrary to the classical onion glassy texture obtained upon shearing Lα phases, the droplet size scales herein as dot gamma-1, the inverse of the shear rate. This result is in good agreement with Taylor's picture. Above a critical shear rate, dot gammac, the droplets organize to form a single colloidal crystal whose lattice size varies as dot gamma-1/3. To the memory of Tess Melissa P.

Ignition of a Droplet of Composite Liquid Fuel in a Vortex Combustion Chamber

Science.gov (United States)

Valiullin, T. R.; Vershinina, K. Yu; Glushkov, D. O.; Strizhak, P. A.

2017-11-01

Experimental study results of a droplet ignition and combustion were obtained for coal-water slurry containing petrochemicals (CWSP) prepared from coal processing waste, low-grade coal and waste petroleum products. A comparative analysis of process characteristics were carried out in different conditions of fuel droplet interaction with heated air flow: droplet soars in air flow in a vortex combustion chamber, droplet soars in ascending air flow in a cone-shaped combustion chamber, and droplet is placed in a thermocouple junction and motionless in air flow. The size (initial radii) of CWSP droplet was varied in the range of 0.5-1.5 mm. The ignition delay time of fuel was determined by the intensity of the visible glow in the vicinity of the droplet during CWSP combustion. It was established (under similar conditions) that ignition delay time of CWSP droplets in the combustion chamber is lower in 2-3.5 times than similar characteristic in conditions of motionless droplet placed in a thermocouple junction. The average value of ignition delay time of CWSP droplet is 3-12 s in conditions of oxidizer temperature is 600-850 K. Obtained experimental results were explained by the influence of heat and mass transfer processes in the droplet vicinity on ignition characteristics in different conditions of CWSP droplet interaction with heated air flow. Experimental results are of interest for the development of combustion technology of promising fuel for thermal power engineering.

Interaction mechanisms between ceramic particles and atomized metallic droplets

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Yue; Lavernia, Enrique J.

1992-10-01

SiC particles occurred during droplet solidification. A comparison of the present results to those anticipated from well-established kinetic and thermodynamic models led to some interesting findings. First, the models proposed by Boiling and Cisse[24] and Chernov et al.[58] predict relative low critical interface velocities necessary for entrapment, inconsistent with the present experimental findings. Second, although the observed correlation between the critical front velocity and droplet diameter was generally consistent with that predicted by Stefanescu et a/.’s model,[27] the dependence on the size of SiC particles was not. In view of this discrepancy, three possible mechanisms were proposed to account for the experimental findings: nucleation of α-Al on SiC particles, entrapment of SiC particles between primary dendrite arms, and entrapment of SiC particles between secondary dendrite arms.

Application of rainbow refractometry for measurement of droplets with solid inclusions

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Can; Wu, Xue-cheng; Cao, Jian-zheng; Chen, Ling-hong; Gréhan, Gerard; Cen, Ke-fa

2018-01-01

Characterization of droplets with solid inclusions is of great research interest and has wide industrial applications. Reported here is a theoretical and experimental investigation of the measurement of droplets with solid inclusions using rainbow refractometry. A rainbow extinction model of a droplet with solid inclusions was deduced based on Beer-Lambert's Law. It takes into account the volume concentration, relative size, scattering efficiency of the solid inclusion, and liquid refractive index. An acoustic levitation system for a single droplet and a global rainbow instrumentation system for spray were integrated to study the effect of the H2O-CaCO3 suspension droplets on the rainbow signal and the measured parameters. The results showed that the rainbow encountered unusual disturbances, introduced by the solid inclusions, but its overall structure was not destroyed. Discoveries also included that for volume concentrations of 2.5% or less the CaCO3 particles with diameters below 4 μm had little effect on the measured parameters of the host droplet. The extinction characteristic was also analyzed. The rainbow extinction model failed to quantity the volume concentration of CaCO3, but succeeded in its qualitative analysis.

Water Evaporation from Acoustically Levitated Aqueous Solution Droplets.

Science.gov (United States)

Combe, Nicole A; Donaldson, D James

2017-09-28

We present a systematic study of the effect of solutes on the evaporation rate of acoustically levitated aqueous solution droplets by suspending individual droplets in a zero-relative humidity environment and measuring their size as a function of time. The ratios of the early time evaporation rates of six simple salts (NaCl, NaBr, NaNO 3 , KCl, MgCl 2 , CaCl 2 ) and malonic acid to that of water are in excellent agreement with predictions made by modifying the Maxwell equation to include the time-dependent water activity of the evaporating aqueous salt solution droplets. However, the early time evaporation rates of three ammonium salt solutions (NH 4 Cl, NH 4 NO 3 , (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 ) are not significantly different from the evaporation rate of pure water. This finding is in accord with a previous report that ammonium sulfate does not depress the evaporation rate of its solutions, despite reducing its water vapor pressure, perhaps due to specific surface effects. At longer evaporation times, as the droplets approach crystallization, all but one (MgCl 2 ) of the solution evaporation rates are well described by the modified Maxwell equation.

Generation of emulsion droplets and micro-bubbles in microfluidic devices

KAUST Repository

Zhang, Jiaming

2016-04-01

Droplet-based microfluidic devices have become a preferred versatile platform for various fields in physics, chemistry and biology to manipulate small amounts of liquid samples. In addition to microdroplets, microbubbles are also needed for various pro- cesses in the food, healthcare and cosmetic industries. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) soft lithography, the mainstay for fabricating microfluidic devices, usually requires the usage of expensive apparatus and a complex manufacturing procedure. In ad- dition, current methods have the limited capabilities for fabrication of microfluidic devices within three dimensional (3D) structures. Novel methods for fabrication of droplet-based microfluidic devices for the generation microdroplets and microbubbles are therefore of great interest in current research. In this thesis, we have developed several simple, rapid and low-cost methods for fabrication of microfluidic devices, especially for generation of microdroplets and mi- crobubbles. We first report an inexpensive full-glass microfluidic devices with as- sembly of glass capillaries, for generating monodisperse multiple emulsions. Different types of devices have been designed and tested and the experimental results demon- strated the robust capability of preparing monodisperse single, double, triple and multi-component emulsions. Second, we propose a similar full-glass device for generation of microbubbles, but with assembly of a much smaller nozzle of a glass capillary. Highly monodisperse microbubbles with diameter range from 3.5 to 60 microns have been successfully produced, at rates up to 40 kHz. A simple scaling law based on the capillary number and liquid-to-gas flow rate ratio, successfully predicts the bubble size. Recently, the emergent 3D printing technology provides an attractive fabrication technique, due to its simplicity and low cost. A handful of studies have already demonstrated droplet production through 3D-printed microfluidic devices. However, two

Serial single molecule electron diffraction imaging: diffraction background of superfluid helium droplets

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Jie; He, Yunteng; Lei, Lei; Alghamdi, Maha; Oswalt, Andrew; Kong, Wei

2017-08-01

In an effort to solve the crystallization problem in crystallography, we have been engaged in developing a method termed "serial single molecule electron diffraction imaging" (SS-EDI). The unique features of SS-EDI are superfluid helium droplet cooling and field-induced orientation: together the two features constitute a molecular goniometer. Unfortunately, the helium atoms surrounding the sample molecule also contribute to a diffraction background. In this report, we analyze the properties of a superfluid helium droplet beam and its doping statistics, and demonstrate the feasibility of overcoming the background issue by using the velocity slip phenomenon of a pulsed droplet beam. Electron diffraction profiles and pair correlation functions of ferrocene-monomer-doped droplets and iodine-nanocluster-doped droplets are presented. The timing of the pulsed electron gun and the effective doping efficiency under different dopant pressures can both be controlled for size selection. This work clears any doubt of the effectiveness of superfluid helium droplets in SS-EDI, thereby advancing the effort in demonstrating the "proof-of-concept" one step further.

Slow relaxation mode in concentrated oil-in-water microemulsions consisting of repulsive droplets

Science.gov (United States)

Hattori, Y.; Ushiki, H.; Courbin, L.; Panizza, P.

2007-02-01

The present contribution reports on the observation of two diffusive relaxation modes in a concentrated microemulsion made of repulsive droplets. These two modes can be interpreted in the frame of Weissman’s and Pusey’s theoretical pioneering works. The fast mode is associated to the collective diffusion of droplets whereas the slow one corresponds to the relaxation of droplet concentration fluctuations associated with composition and/or size. We show that (i) repulsive interactions considerably slow down the latter and (ii) a generalized Stokes Einstein relationship between its coefficient of diffusion and the Newtonian viscosity of the solutions, similar to the Walden’s rule for electrolytes, holds for concentrated microemulsion systems made of repulsive droplets.

Droplet based microfluidics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seemann, Ralf; Brinkmann, Martin; Pfohl, Thomas; Herminghaus, Stephan

2012-01-01

Droplet based microfluidics is a rapidly growing interdisciplinary field of research combining soft matter physics, biochemistry and microsystems engineering. Its applications range from fast analytical systems or the synthesis of advanced materials to protein crystallization and biological assays for living cells. Precise control of droplet volumes and reliable manipulation of individual droplets such as coalescence, mixing of their contents, and sorting in combination with fast analysis tools allow us to perform chemical reactions inside the droplets under defined conditions. In this paper, we will review available drop generation and manipulation techniques. The main focus of this review is not to be comprehensive and explain all techniques in great detail but to identify and shed light on similarities and underlying physical principles. Since geometry and wetting properties of the microfluidic channels are crucial factors for droplet generation, we also briefly describe typical device fabrication methods in droplet based microfluidics. Examples of applications and reaction schemes which rely on the discussed manipulation techniques are also presented, such as the fabrication of special materials and biophysical experiments.

Freezing on a Chip—A New Approach to Determine Heterogeneous Ice Nucleation of Micrometer-Sized Water Droplets

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thomas Häusler

2018-04-01

Full Text Available We are presenting a new approach to analyze the freezing behavior of aqueous droplets containing ice nucleating particles. The freezing chip consists of an etched and sputtered (15 × 15 × 1 mm gold-plated silicon or pure gold chip, enabling the formation of droplets with defined diameters between 20 and 80 µm. Several applications like an automated process control and an automated image evaluation were implemented to improve the quality of heterogeneous freezing experiments. To show the functionality of the setup, we compared freezing temperatures of aqueous droplets containing ice nucleating particles (i.e., microcline, birch pollen washing water, juniper pollen, and Snomax® solution measured with our setup, with literature data. The ice nucleation active surface/mass site density (ns/m of microcline, juniper pollen, and birch pollen washing water are shown to be in good agreement with literature data. Minor variations can be explained by slight differences in composition and droplet generation technique. The nm values of Snomax® differ by up to one order of magnitude at higher subzero temperatures when compared with fresh samples but are in agreement when compared with reported data of aged Snomax® samples.