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Sample records for single droplet combustion

  1. Computational/experimental studies of isolated, single component droplet combustion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dryer, Frederick L.

    1993-01-01

    Isolated droplet combustion processes have been the subject of extensive experimental and theoretical investigations for nearly 40 years. The gross features of droplet burning are qualitatively embodied by simple theories and are relatively well understood. However, there remain significant aspects of droplet burning, particularly its dynamics, for which additional basic knowledge is needed for thorough interpretations and quantitative explanations of transient phenomena. Spherically-symmetric droplet combustion, which can only be approximated under conditions of both low Reynolds and Grashof numbers, represents the simplest geometrical configuration in which to study the coupled chemical/transport processes inherent within non-premixed flames. The research summarized here, concerns recent results on isolated, single component, droplet combustion under microgravity conditions, a program pursued jointly with F.A. Williams of the University of California, San Diego. The overall program involves developing and applying experimental methods to study the burning of isolated, single component droplets, in various atmospheres, primarily at atmospheric pressure and below, in both drop towers and aboard space-based platforms such as the Space Shuttle or Space Station. Both computational methods and asymptotic methods, the latter pursued mainly at UCSD, are used in developing the experimental test matrix, in analyzing results, and for extending theoretical understanding. Methanol, and the normal alkanes, n-heptane, and n-decane, have been selected as test fuels to study time-dependent droplet burning phenomena. The following sections summarizes the Princeton efforts on this program, describe work in progress, and briefly delineate future research directions.

  2. Experimental investigation of flash pyrolysis oil droplet combustion

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ibrahim, Norazana; Jensen, Peter A.; Dam-Johansen, Kim

    2013-01-01

    at a temperature ranging between 1000 and 1400°C with an initial gas velocity of 1.6 m/s and oxygen concentration of 3%. The evolution of combustion of bio-oil droplets was recorded by a digital video camera. It was observed that the combustion behaviour of pyrolysis oil droplet differ from the heavy oil in terms......The aim of this work is to investigate and compare the combustion behaviour of a single droplet of pyrolysis oil derived from wheat straw and heavy fossil oil in a single droplet combustion chamber. The initial oil droplet diameters were in between 500 μm to 2500 μm. The experiments were performed...

  3. Research into three-component biodiesel fuels combustion process using a single droplet technique

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    L. Raslavičius

    2007-12-01

    Full Text Available In order to reduce the engine emission while at same time improving engine efficiency, it is very important to clarify the combustion mechanism. Even if, there are many researches into investigating the mechanism of engine combustion, so that to clarify the relationship between complicated phenomena, it is very difficult to investigate due to the complicated process of both physical and chemical reaction from the start of fuel injection to the end of combustion event. The numerical simulations are based on a detailed vaporization model and detailed chemical kinetics. The influence of different physical parameters like droplet temperature, gas phase temperature, ambient gas pressure and droplet burning velocity on the ignition delay process is investigated using fuel droplet combustion stand. Experimental results about their influence on ignition delay time were presented.

  4. Recent Advances In Science Support For Isolated Droplet Combustion Experiments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dryer, F. L.; Kazakov, A.; Urban, B. D.; Kroenlein, K.

    2003-01-01

    In a joint program involving Prof. F.A. Williams of the University of California, San Diego and Dr. V. Nayagam of the National Center for Microgravity Research, the combustion characteristics of isolated liquid fuel droplets of n-heptane, n-decane, methanol, methanol-water, ethanol and ethanol-water having initial diameters between about 1 mm and 6 mm continues to be investigated. The objectives of the work are to improve fundamental knowledge of droplet combustion dynamics for pure fuels and fuel-water mixtures through microgravity experiments and theoretical analyses. The Princeton contributions support the engineering design, data analysis, and data interpretation requirements for the study of initially single component, spherically symmetric, isolated droplet combustion studies through experiments and numerical modeling. UCSD contributions are described in a companion communication in this conference. The Princeton effort also addresses the analyses of Fiber Supported Droplet Combustion (FSDC) experiments conducted with the above fuels and collaborative work with others who are investigating droplet combustion in the presence of steady convection. A thorough interpretation of droplet burning behavior for n-heptane and n-decane over a relatively wide range of conditions also involves the influences of sooting on the combustion behavior, and this particular aspect on isolated burning of droplets is under consideration in a collaborative program underway with Drexel University. This collaboration is addressed in another communication at this conference. The one-dimensional, time-dependent, numerical modeling approach that we have continued to evolve for analyzing isolated, quiescent droplet combustion data has been further applied to investigate several facets of isolated droplet burning of simple alcohols, n-heptane, and n-decane. Some of the new results are described below.

  5. Extended lattice Boltzmann scheme for droplet combustion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ashna, Mostafa; Rahimian, Mohammad Hassan; Fakhari, Abbas

    2017-05-01

    The available lattice Boltzmann (LB) models for combustion or phase change are focused on either single-phase flow combustion or two-phase flow with evaporation assuming a constant density for both liquid and gas phases. To pave the way towards simulation of spray combustion, we propose a two-phase LB method for modeling combustion of liquid fuel droplets. We develop an LB scheme to model phase change and combustion by taking into account the density variation in the gas phase and accounting for the chemical reaction based on the Cahn-Hilliard free-energy approach. Evaporation of liquid fuel is modeled by adding a source term, which is due to the divergence of the velocity field being nontrivial, in the continuity equation. The low-Mach-number approximation in the governing Navier-Stokes and energy equations is used to incorporate source terms due to heat release from chemical reactions, density variation, and nonluminous radiative heat loss. Additionally, the conservation equation for chemical species is formulated by including a source term due to chemical reaction. To validate the model, we consider the combustion of n-heptane and n-butanol droplets in stagnant air using overall single-step reactions. The diameter history and flame standoff ratio obtained from the proposed LB method are found to be in good agreement with available numerical and experimental data. The present LB scheme is believed to be a promising approach for modeling spray combustion.

  6. Numerical simulation code for combustion of sodium liquid droplet and its verification

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Okano, Yasushi

    1997-11-01

    The computer programs for sodium leak and burning phenomena had been developed based on mechanistic approach. Direct numerical simulation code for sodium liquid droplet burning had been developed for numerical analysis of droplet combustion in forced convection air flow. Distributions of heat generation and temperature and reaction rate of chemical productions, such as sodium oxide and hydroxide, are calculated and evaluated with using this numerical code. Extended MAC method coupled with a higher-order upwind scheme had been used for combustion simulation of methane-air mixture. In the numerical simulation code for combustion of sodium liquid droplet, chemical reaction model of sodium was connected with the extended MAC method. Combustion of single sodium liquid droplet was simulated in this report for the verification of developed numerical simulation code. The changes of burning rate and reaction product with droplet diameter and inlet wind velocity were investigated. These calculation results were qualitatively and quantitatively conformed to the experimental and calculation observations in combustion engineering. It was confirmed that the numerical simulation code was available for the calculation of sodium liquid droplet burning. (author)

  7. Combustion Characterization of Individual Bio-oil Droplets

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Brian Brun; Jensen, Peter Arendt

    2015-01-01

    Single droplet combustion characteristics has been investigated for bio-oil slurries, containing biomass residue, and compared to conventional fuels for pulverized burners, such as fuel oil (start up) and wood chips (solid biomass fuel). The investigated fuels ignition delays and pyrolysis behavior...

  8. The Multi-User Droplet Combustion Apparatus: the Development and Integration Concept for Droplet Combustion Payloads in the Fluids and Combustion Facility Combustion Integrated Rack

    Science.gov (United States)

    Myhre, C. A.

    2002-01-01

    The Multi-user Droplet Combustion Apparatus (MDCA) is a multi-user facility designed to accommodate four different droplet combustion science experiments. The MDCA will conduct experiments using the Combustion Integrated Rack (CIR) of the NASA Glenn Research Center's Fluids and Combustion Facility (FCF). The payload is planned for the International Space Station. The MDCA, in conjunction with the CIR, will allow for cost effective extended access to the microgravity environment, not possible on previous space flights. It is currently in the Engineering Model build phase with a planned flight launch with CIR in 2004. This paper provides an overview of the capabilities and development status of the MDCA. The MDCA contains the hardware and software required to conduct unique droplet combustion experiments in space. It consists of a Chamber Insert Assembly, an Avionics Package, and a multiple array of diagnostics. Its modular approach permits on-orbit changes for accommodating different fuels, fuel flow rates, soot sampling mechanisms, and varying droplet support and translation mechanisms to accommodate multiple investigations. Unique diagnostic measurement capabilities for each investigation are also provided. Additional hardware provided by the CIR facility includes the structural support, a combustion chamber, utilities for the avionics and diagnostic packages, and the fuel mixing capability for PI specific combustion chamber environments. Common diagnostics provided by the CIR will also be utilized by the MDCA. Single combustible fuel droplets of varying sizes, freely deployed or supported by a tether are planned for study using the MDCA. Such research supports how liquid-fuel-droplets ignite, spread, and extinguish under quiescent microgravity conditions. This understanding will help us develop more efficient energy production and propulsion systems on Earth and in space, deal better with combustion generated pollution, and address fire hazards associated with

  9. An experimental study on suspended sodium droplet combustion (3)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sato, Kenji

    2005-03-01

    As part of studies for phenomenological investigation of sodium droplet burning behavior, in our previous experimental studies for suspended single sodium droplet, behavior of ignition process and succeeding combustion, ignition delay time, and droplet temperature history had been investigated. In this study, combustion experiments of suspended sodium droplet were performed in upward dry air flow by expanding the range of free-stream velocity U of air flow into 400 cm/s with initial droplet temperature Ti=300, 350, and 400degC and initial droplet diameter 4 mm at first. Then, the combustion experiments were also performed by changing the initial droplet diameter from 2.3 to 4.4 mm with Ti=350 and 400degC and U=100 cm/s. From the experimental results, the effects of free-stream velocity, initial droplet temperature, and initial droplet diameter on the ignition/burning behavior and ignition delay time were examined. The obtained results are as follows: (1) Ignition phenomena of suspended droplet were observed for all examined experimental conditions up to 400 cm/s. The orange emission observed at the moment of ignition occurs simultaneously over whole droplet surface except the top region of it. (2) The feature of the dependence of ignition delay time on the free-stream velocity is independent of the initial droplet temperature. With the increase of the free-stream velocity, up to 300 cm/s the ignition delay time decreases with decreasing dependency, and then the dependency increases more. (3) The ignition delay time increases with the increase of initial droplet diameter. The dependency increases as the initial droplet diameter increases. The ignition delay time extrapolated toward zero diameters from the obtained results becomes to be essentially zero. (author)

  10. On the formation of nitrogen oxides during the combustion of partially pre-vaporized droplets

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Moesl, Klaus Georg

    2012-12-12

    This study contributes to the topic of nitrogen oxide (NO{sub x}) formation at the level of single droplet and droplet array combustion. The influence of the degree of droplet vaporization and the influence of ambient conditions on NO{sub x} emissions are studied in detail by experiments as well as by numerical simulations. Consequently, this study illustrates correlations and dependencies of the most relevant parameters with respect to the formation of NO{sub x}. It merges the fields of droplet pre-vaporization, ignition, combustion, and exhaust gas formation, including a sophisticated approach to NO{sub x} determination. Even though the study was conducted in order to help understand the fundamental process of burning idealized droplets, the processes in spray combustion have also been taken into consideration within its scope. The portability of results obtained from those idealized droplet burning regimes is evaluated for real applications. Thus, this study may also help to derive design recommendations for liquid-fueled combustion devices. While the experimental part focuses on droplet array combustion, the numerical part highlights spherically symmetric single droplet combustion. By performing experiments in a microgravity environment, quasi-spherical conditions were facilitated for droplet burning, and comparability was provided for the experimental and numerical results. A novelty of the numerical part is the investigation of mechanisms of NO{sub x} formation under technically relevant conditions. This includes partial pre-vaporization of the droplets as well as droplet combustion in a hot exhaust gas environment, such as an aero-engine. The results show that the trade-off between ambient temperature and available oxygen determines the NO{sub x} formation of droplets burning in hot exhaust gas. If the ambient temperature is high and there is still sufficient oxygen for full oxidation of the fuel provided by the droplet, the maximum of NOx formation is

  11. Numerical simulation of a liquid droplet combustion experiment focusing on ignition process

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamaguchi, Akira; Tajima, Yuji

    1999-11-01

    SPHINCS (Sodium Fire phenomenology IN multi-Cell System) computer program has been developed for the safety analysis of sodium fire accident in a Fast Breeder Reactor. The program can deal with spray combustion and pool surface combustion. In this report the authors investigate a single droplet combustion phenomena focusing on an ignition process. The spray combustion model of SPHINCS is as follows. The liquid droplet-burning rate after ignition is based on the D-square law and a diffusion flame assumption. Before the droplet is ignited, the burning rate is evaluated by mass flux of oxidizer gases. Forced convection effect that skews the sphere shape of the flame zone surrounding a droplet is taken into consideration. It enhances the burning rate. The chemical equilibrium theory is used to determine the resultant fraction of reaction products of Na-O 2 -H 2 O system. It is noted that users have to give an ignition temperature based on empirical evidences. According to this model, it is obvious that a smaller liquid droplet with higher initial temperature tends to burn more easily. What is observed in a recent experiment is that the smallest liquid droplet (2mm diameter) did not ignited of itself and larger droplets (3.7mm and 4.5mm diameter) burnt at 300degC initial temperature. The current model for liquid droplet combustion cannot predict the experimental results. Therefore, in the present study, a surface reaction model has been developed to predict the ignition process. The model has been used to analyze a combustion experiment of a stationary liquid droplet. The authors investigate the validity of the physical modeling of the liquid droplet combustion and surface reaction. It has been found, as the results, that the model can predict the influence of the initial temperature on the temperature lower limit for spontaneous ignition and ignition delay time. Also investigated is the influence of the moisture on the ignition phenomena. From the present study, it has

  12. An experimental study on suspended sodium droplet combustion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sato, Kenji

    2003-03-01

    As part of studies for phenomenological investigation of sodium droplet burning behavior, in our previous experimental studies, ignition process and succeeding combustion of suspended single sodium droplet had been investigated by using high speed movie camera, and a temperature measurement system feasible for the experiment had been developed. In the present study, by using 4 mm diam. suspended sodium droplet, combustion experiments were performed for the free-stream velocity of dry air flow of 20 to 60 cm/s, and for the initial droplet temperature of 280 to 400degC, and the effects of the free-stream velocity and initial droplet temperature on the ignition behavior and droplet temperature variation with time were examined by using high speed movie camera and sheath-type fine thermocouple. The experimental results are as follows: (1) When the initial droplet temperature is less than 290degC, before ignition the oxide film accompanied with vertical streak appeared and the droplet turned to teardrop shape. (2) The ignition delay time defined as the time to evolution of orange color light emission zone or flame zone decreases with the increase o the free-stream velocity or of initial droplet temperature. Examples of typical ignition time are 1.4 s at the free-stream velocity 20 cm/s and initial droplet temperature 300degC, and 0.65 s at 60 cm/s and 400degC. (3) the dependence of the ignition delay time on the free-stream velocity decreases as the free stream velocity increases. (4) The droplet temperatures at the moment of melting extending all over the surface and at the moment of ignition are around 460degC and 500 to 600degC (mostly around 575degC), respectively. These values are essentially independent of the free-stream velocity and initial droplet temperature. (5) The rate of temperature rise does not change through the moment of ignition. (6) The asymptotic droplet temperature at approaching to quasi-steady combustion state following ignition is independent of

  13. Development of sodium droplet combustion analysis methodology using direct numerical simulation in 3-dimensional coordinate (COMET)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Okano, Yasushi; Ohira, Hiroaki

    1998-08-01

    In the early stage of sodium leak event of liquid metal fast breeder reactor, LMFBR, liquid sodium flows out from a piping, and ignition and combustion of liquid sodium droplet might occur under certain environmental condition. Compressible forced air flow, diffusion of chemical species, liquid sodium droplet behavior, chemical reactions and thermodynamic properties should be evaluated with considering physical dependence and numerical connection among them for analyzing combustion of sodium liquid droplet. A direct numerical simulation code was developed for numerical analysis of sodium liquid droplet in forced convection air flow. The numerical code named COMET, 'Sodium Droplet COmbustion Analysis METhodology using Direct Numerical Simulation in 3-Dimensional Coordinate'. The extended MAC method was used to calculate compressible forced air flow. Counter diffusion among chemical species is also calculated. Transport models of mass and energy between droplet and surrounding atmospheric air were developed. Equation-solving methods were used for computing multiphase equilibrium between sodium and air. Thermodynamic properties of chemical species were evaluated using dynamic theory of gases. Combustion of single sphere liquid sodium droplet in forced convection, constant velocity, uniform air flow was numerically simulated using COMET. Change of droplet diameter with time was closely agree with d 2 -law of droplet combustion theory. Spatial distributions of combustion rate and heat generation and formation, decomposition and movement of chemical species were analyzed. Quantitative calculations of heat generation and chemical species formation in spray combustion are enabled for various kinds of environmental condition by simulating liquid sodium droplet combustion using COMET. (author)

  14. Experimental study on oxidation and combustion characteristics of sodium droplets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Zhigang; Sun Shubin; Liu Chongchong; Tang Yexin

    2015-01-01

    In the operation of the sodium-cooled fast reactor, the accident caused by the leakage and combustion of liquid sodium is common and frequent. In this paper, the oxidation and combustion characteristics of sodium droplets were studied by carrying out the experiments of the oxidation and combustion under different conditions of initial temperatures (140-370℃) of the sodium droplets and oxygen concentrations (4%-21%). The oxidation and combustion behaviors were visualized by a set of combustion apparatus of sodium droplet and a high speed camera. The experiment results show that the columnar oxides grow longer as the initial temperature of sodium droplet and oxygen concentration become lower. Under the same oxygen concentration condition, the sodium droplet with the higher initial temperature is easier to ignite and burn. When the initial temperature of sodium droplet is below 200℃, it is very difficult to ignite. If there is a turbulence damaging the oxide layer on the surface, the sodium droplet will also burn gradually. When the initial temperature ranges from 140℃ to 370℃ and the oxygen fraction is equal to or higher than 12%, the sodium droplet could burn completely and the maximum combustion temperature could roughly reach 600-800℃. When the oxygen concentration is below 12%, the sodium droplet could not burn completely and the highest combustion temperature is below 600℃. The results are helpful to the research on the columnar flow and spray sodium fire. (authors)

  15. Combustion characteristics of crude jatropha oil droplets using rhodium liquid as a homogeneous combustion catalyst

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nanlohy, Hendry Y.; Wardana, I. N. G.; Hamidi, N.; Yuliati, L.

    2018-01-01

    Combustion characteristics of crude jatropha oil droplet at room temperature with and without catalyst have been studied experimentally. Its combustion characteristics have been observed by igniting the oil droplet on a junction of a thermocouple, and the combustion characteristics of oil droplets are observed using a high-speed camera. The results show that the uniqueness of crude jatropha oil as alternative fuel is evidenced by the different stages of combustion caused by thermal cracking in burning droplets. The results also show that the role of the catalyst is not only an accelerator agent, but there are other unique functions and roles as a stabilizer. Moreover, the results also found that the catalyst was able to shorten the ignition timing and burnout time. This phenomenon proves that the presence of catalysts alters and weakens the structure of the triglyceride geometry so that the viscosity and flash point is reduced, the fuel absorbs heat well and flammable.

  16. 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.

  17. Droplet Vaporization In A Levitating Acoustic Field

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruff, G. A.; Liu, S.; Ciobanescu, I.

    2003-01-01

    Combustion experiments using arrays of droplets seek to provide a link between single droplet combustion phenomena and the behavior of complex spray combustion systems. Both single droplet and droplet array studies have been conducted in microgravity to better isolate the droplet interaction phenomena and eliminate or reduce the effects of buoyancy-induced convection. In most experiments involving droplet arrays, the droplets are supported on fibers to keep them stationary and close together before the combustion event. The presence of the fiber, however, disturbs the combustion process by introducing a source of heat transfer and asymmetry into the configuration. As the number of drops in a droplet array increases, supporting the drops on fibers becomes less practical because of the cumulative effect of the fibers on the combustion process. To eliminate the effect of the fiber, several researchers have conducted microgravity experiments using unsupported droplets. Jackson and Avedisian investigated single, unsupported drops while Nomura et al. studied droplet clouds formed by a condensation technique. The overall objective of this research is to extend the study of unsupported drops by investigating the combustion of well-characterized drop clusters in a microgravity environment. Direct experimental observations and measurements of the combustion of droplet clusters would provide unique experimental data for the verification and improvement of spray combustion models. In this work, the formation of drop clusters is precisely controlled using an acoustic levitation system so that dilute, as well as dense clusters can be created and stabilized before combustion in microgravity is begun. While the low-gravity test facility is being completed, tests have been conducted in 1-g to characterize the effect of the acoustic field on the vaporization of single and multiple droplets. This is important because in the combustion experiment, the droplets will be formed and

  18. An experimental study on suspended sodium droplet combustion (2)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sato, Kenji

    2004-03-01

    As part of studies for phenomenological investigation of sodium droplet burning behavior, in our previous experimental studies for suspended single sodium droplet, behavior of ignition process and succeeding combustion, ignition delay time, and droplet temperature history had been investigated. In the present study, by using 4 mm diam. suspended sodium droplet, combustion experiments were performed for extended free-stream velocity range of dry air up to 200 cm/s, and for the initial droplet temperature T i =300degC and 400degC, and the effects of the free-stream velocity and initial droplet temperature on the ignition/burning behavior and ignition delay time were examined by using high speed video camera. The obtained experimental results are as follows: (1) Ignition phenomena of suspended spherical shape droplet were observed for all examined experimental conductions except the case of free-stream velocity U=200 cm/s at 300degC, where detachment of droplet from the support due to strained oxide film occurred. (2) The ignition delay time defined as the time to evolution of orange-light emitting zone or flame zone decreases with the increase of the free-stream velocity or of initial droplet temperature. Examples of typical ignition delay time are 0.68 s at U=20 cm/s, 0.52 s at U=100 cm/s, and 0.37 s at 200 cm/s for T i =400degC. (3) The orange-light emission at the moment of ignition occurs simultaneously over whole surface except the top region of the droplet. The intensity of the emission at the moment of ignition takes its maximum at the bottom region or upstream region of the droplet, and the emission intensity during the stable burning period increases with the increase of U. (4) When T i is 300degC, formation of temporal multiple short projections are observed before ignition for all examined free-stream velocities. The projections often do not disappear before ignition when the velocity is relatively high. (5) The layer or cloud composed of aerosol is formed

  19. Study of Combustion Characteristics of Hydrocarbon Nanofuel Droplets

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-08-23

    NUMBER (Include area code) 23 August 2017 Briefing Charts 01 August 2017 - 31 August 2017 Study of Combustion Characteristics of Hydrocarbon...Douglas Talley N/A 1 Study of Combustion Characteristics of Hydrocarbon Nanofuel Droplets DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A. Approved for public release...Angeles ϯAir Force Research Laboratory, Aerospace Systems Directorate, Combustion Devices Group, Edwards AFB, CA ONR/ARO/AFOSR Meeting, 23 Aug., 2017

  20. The Effects of Sooting and Radiation on Droplet Combustion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Kyeong-Ook; Manzello, Samuel L.; Choi, Mun Young

    1997-01-01

    The burning of liquid hydrocarbon fuels accounts for a significant portion of global energy production. With predicted future increases in demand and limited reserves of hydrocarbon fuel, it is important to maximize the efficiency of all processes that involve conversion of fuel. With the exception of unwanted fires, most applications involve introduction of liquid fuels into an oxidizing environment in the form of sprays which are comprised of groups of individual droplets. Therefore, tremendous benefits can result from a better understanding of spray combustion processes. Yet, theoretical developments and experimental measurements of spray combustion remains a daunting task due to the complex coupling of a turbulent, two-phase flow with phase change and chemical reactions. However, it is recognized that individual droplet behavior (including ignition, evaporation and combustion) is a necessary component for laying the foundation for a better understanding of spray processes. Droplet combustion is also an ideal problem for gaining a better understanding of non-premixed flames. Under the idealized situation producing spherically-symmetric flames (produced under conditions of reduced natural and forced convection), it represents the simplest geometry in which to formulate and solve the governing equations of mass, species and heat transfer for a chemically reacting two phase flow with phase change. The importance of this topic has promoted extensive theoretical investigations for more than 40 years.

  1. Dynamics of Water Absorption and Evaporation During Methanol Droplet Combustion in Microgravity

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2012-01-01

    The combustion of methanol droplets is profoundly influenced by the absorption and evaporation of water, generated in the gas phase as a part of the combustion products. Initially there is a water-absorption period of combustion during which the latent heat of condensation of water vapor, released into the droplet, enhances its burning rate, whereas later there is a water-evaporation period, during which the water vapor reduces the flame temperature suffciently to extinguish the flame. Recent methanol droplet-combustion experiments in ambient environments diluted with carbon dioxide, conducted in the Combustion Integrated Rack on the International Space Station (ISS), as a part of the FLEX project, provided a method to delineate the water-absorption period from the water-evaporation period using video images of flame intensity. These were obtained using an ultra-violet camera that captures the OH* radical emission at 310 nm wavelength and a color camera that captures visible flame emission. These results are compared with results of ground-based tests in the Zero Gravity Facility at the NASA Glenn Research Center which employed smaller droplets in argon-diluted environments. A simplified theoretical model developed earlier correlates the transition time at which water absorption ends and evaporation starts. The model results are shown to agree reasonably well with experiment.

  2. 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

  3. Droplet evaporation and combustion in a liquid-gas multiphase system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muradoglu, Metin; Irfan, Muhammad

    2017-11-01

    Droplet evaporation and combustion in a liquid-gas multiphase system are studied computationally using a front-tracking method. One field formulation is used to solve the flow, energy and species equations with suitable jump conditions. Both phases are assumed to be incompressible; however, the divergence-free velocity field condition is modified to account for the phase change at the interface. Both temperature and species gradient driven phase change processes are simulated. Extensive validation studies are performed using the benchmark cases: The Stefan and the sucking interface problems, d2 law and wet bulb temperature comparison with the psychrometric chart values. The phase change solver is then extended to incorporate the burning process following the evaporation as a first step towards the development of a computational framework for spray combustion. We used detailed chemistry, variable transport properties and ideal gas behaviour for a n-heptane droplet combustion; the chemical kinetics being handled by the CHEMKIN. An operator-splitting approach is used to advance temperature and species mass fraction in time. The numerical results of the droplet burning rate, flame temperature and flame standoff ratio show good agreement with the experimental and previous numeric.

  4. Combustion of Methanol Droplets in Air-Diluent Environments with Reduced and Normal Gravity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Benjamin Shaw

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Reduced and normal gravity combustion experiments were performed with fiber-supported methanol droplets with initial diameters in the 1 mm size range. Experiments were performed with air-diluent mixtures at about 0.101 MPa and 298 K, where carbon dioxide, helium, or xenon was separately used as the diluent gas. Results indicate that ambient gas transport properties play an important role in determining flammability and combustion behaviors including burning rates and radiant heat output histories of the droplets. Droplets would burn with significantly higher mole fractions of xenon than helium or carbon dioxide. In reduced gravity, droplets would burn steadily with a xenon mole fraction of 0.50 but would not burn steadily if helium or carbon dioxide mole fractions were 0.50. Comparison with previous experimental data shows that ignitability and combustion characteristics of droplets are influenced by the fuel type and also the gravitational level. Burning rates were about 40% to 70% higher in normal gravity than in reduced gravity. Methanol droplets also had burning rates that were typically larger than 1-propanol burning rates by about 20% in reduced gravity. In normal gravity, however, burning rate differences between the two fuels were significantly smaller.

  5. Low temperature combustion of organic coal-water fuel droplets containing petrochemicals while soaring in a combustion chamber model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Valiullin Timur R.

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The paper examines the integral characteristics (minimum temperature, ignition delay times of stable combustion initiation of organic coal-water fuel droplets (initial radius is 0.3-1.5 mm in the oxidizer flow (the temperature and velocity varied in ranges 500-900 K, 0.5-3 m/s. The main components of organic coal-water fuel were: brown coal particles, filter-cakes obtained in coal processing, waste engine, and turbine oils. The different modes of soaring and ignition of organic coal-water fuel have been established. The conditions have been set under which it is possible to implement the sustainable soaring and ignition of organic coal-water fuel droplets. We have compared the ignition characteristics with those defined in the traditional approach (based on placing the droplets on a low-inertia thermocouple junction into the combustion chamber. The paper shows the scale of the influence of heat sink over the thermocouple junction on ignition inertia. An original technique for releasing organic coal-water fuel droplets to the combustion chamber was proposed and tested. The limitations of this technique and the prospects of experimental results for the optimization of energy equipment operation were also formulated.

  6. A basic experimental study on combustion of suspended sodium droplet. 2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sato, Kenji

    1999-10-01

    For appropriate understanding and/or prediction of the combustion behavior of sodium, working as liquid coolant in fast breeder reactors, in case of leakage accident, phenomenological analyses of the behavior must be also important along with conventional engineering approach. Following our previous study in the last year, the major objective of this experimental research is to elucidate the effects of the initial temperature and diameter of droplet, and of the air flow velocity on ignition process of a sodium droplet, by exposing a suspended droplet to the air flow at room-temperature. In the experiments, a high-temperature droplet suspended from the end of a fine stainless steel nozzle of the liquid sodium supply system was exposed to an upward air flow, and the ignition and succeeding combustion phenomena were observed by using high-speed color video recording system. In the preliminary study, the effects of lighting and image data processing on obtaining pictures suitable to analyses were investigated with the apparatus used in the previous study. After the experimental apparatus was modified partially in order to expose the unreacted droplet to the air flow more quickly, main experiments were performed in synthetic dry air or oxygen-nitrogen mixture of 21% oxygen. Good quality pictures of the phenomena achieved under good conditions were recorded even for a few cases. The details of the ignition process of a sodium droplet, including the aspects of the surface and light emission, were examined, and the effects of the air flow velocity were discussed. Since number of performed experimental runs was small, the effects of the initial droplet temperature were not examined. (author)

  7. Motion of water droplets in the counter flow of high-temperature combustion products

    Science.gov (United States)

    Volkov, R. S.; Strizhak, P. A.

    2018-01-01

    This paper presents the experimental studies of the deceleration, reversal, and entrainment of water droplets sprayed in counter current flow to a rising stream of high-temperature (1100 K) combustion gases. The initial droplets velocities 0.5-2.5 m/s, radii 10-230 μm, relative volume concentrations 0.2·10-4-1.8·10-4 (m3 of water)/(m3 of gas) vary in the ranges corresponding to promising high-temperature (over 1000 K) gas-vapor-droplet applications (for example, polydisperse fire extinguishing using water mist, fog, or appropriate water vapor-droplet veils, thermal or flame treatment of liquids in the flow of combustion products or high-temperature air; creating coolants based on flue gas, vapor and water droplets; unfreezing of granular media and processing of the drossed surfaces of thermal-power equipment; ignition of liquid and slurry fuel droplets). A hardware-software cross-correlation complex, high-speed (up to 105 fps) video recording tools, panoramic optical techniques (Particle Image Velocimetry, Particle Tracking Velocimetry, Interferometric Particle Imagine, Shadow Photography), and the Tema Automotive software with the function of continuous monitoring have been applied to examine the characteristics of the processes under study. The scale of the influence of initial droplets concentration in the gas flow on the conditions and features of their entrainment by high-temperature gases has been specified. The dependencies Red = f(Reg) and Red' = f(Reg) have been obtained to predict the characteristics of the deceleration of droplets by gases at different droplets concentrations.

  8. Entropy Analyses of Droplet Combustion in Convective Environment with Small Reynolds Number

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    ZHANG Xiaobin; ZHANG Wei; ZHANG Xuejun

    2013-01-01

    This paper analyzes the entropy generation rate of simple pure droplet combustion in a temperature-elevated air convective environment based on the solutions of flow,and heat and mass transfer between the two phases.The flow-field calculations are carried out by solving the respective conservation equations for each phase,accounting for the droplet deformation with the axisymmetric model.The effects of the temperature,velocity and oxygen fraction of the free stream air on the total entropy generation rate in the process of the droplet combustion are investigated.Special attention is given to analyze the quantitative effects of droplet deformation.The results reveal that the entropy generation rate due to chemical reaction occupies a large fraction of the total entropy generated,as a result of the large areas covered by the flame.Although,the magnitude of the entropy generation rate per volume due to heat transfer and combined mass and heat transfer has a magnitude of one order greater than that due to chemical reaction,they cover a very limited area,leading to a small fraction of the total entropy generated.The entropy generation rate due to mass transfer is negligible.High temperature and high velocity of the free stream are advantageous to increase the exergy efficiency in the range of small Reynolds number (<1) from the viewpoint of the second-law analysis over the droplet lifetime.The effect of droplet deformation on the total entropy generation is the modest.

  9. Experiments and Model Development for the Investigation of Sooting and Radiation Effects in Microgravity Droplet Combustion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choi, Mun Young; Yozgatligil, Ahmet; Dryer, Frederick L.; Kazakov, Andrei; Dobashi, Ritsu

    2001-01-01

    Today, despite efforts to develop and utilize natural gas and renewable energy sources, nearly 97% of the energy used for transportation is derived from combustion of liquid fuels, principally derived from petroleum. While society continues to rely on liquid petroleum-based fuels as a major energy source in spite of their finite supply, it is of paramount importance to maximize the efficiency and minimize the environmental impact of the devices that burn these fuels. The development of improved energy conversion systems, having higher efficiencies and lower emissions, is central to meeting both local and regional air quality standards. This development requires improvements in computational design tools for applied energy conversion systems, which in turn requires more robust sub-model components for combustion chemistry, transport, energy transport (including radiation), and pollutant emissions (soot formation and burnout). The study of isolated droplet burning as a unidimensional, time dependent model diffusion flame system facilitates extensions of these mechanisms to include fuel molecular sizes and pollutants typical of conventional and alternative liquid fuels used in the transportation sector. Because of the simplified geometry, sub-model components from the most detailed to those reduced to sizes compatible for use in multi-dimensional, time dependent applied models can be developed, compared and validated against experimental diffusion flame processes, and tested against one another. Based on observations in microgravity experiments on droplet combustion, it appears that the formation and lingering presence of soot within the fuel-rich region of isolated droplets can modify the burning rate, flame structure and extinction, soot aerosol properties, and the effective thermophysical properties. These observations led to the belief that perhaps one of the most important outstanding contributions of microgravity droplet combustion is the observation that in the

  10. Methanol Droplet Combustion in Oxygen-Inert Environments in Microgravity

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2013-01-01

    The Flame Extinguishment (FLEX) experiment that is currently underway in the Combustion Integrated Rack facility onboard the International Space Station is aimed at understanding the effects of inert diluents on the flammability of condensed phase fuels. To this end, droplets of various fuels, including alkanes and alcohols, are burned in a quiescent microgravity environment with varying amounts of oxygen and inert diluents to determine the limiting oxygen index (LOI) for these fuels. In this study we report experimental observations of methanol droplets burning in oxygen-nitrogen-carbon dioxide and oxygen-nitrogen-helium gas mixtures at 0.7 and 1 atmospheric pressures. The initial droplet size varied between approximately 1.5 mm and 4 mm to capture both diffusive extinction brought about by insufficient residence time at the flame and radiative extinction caused by excessive heat loss from the flame zone. The ambient oxygen concentration varied from a high value of 30% by volume to as low as 12%, approaching the limiting oxygen index for the fuel. The inert dilution by carbon dioxide and helium varied over a range of 0% to 70% by volume. In these experiments, both freely floated and tethered droplets were ignited using symmetrically opposed hot-wire igniters and the burning histories were recorded onboard using digital cameras, downlinked later to the ground for analysis. The digital images yielded droplet and flame diameters as functions of time and subsequently droplet burning rate, flame standoff ratio, and initial and extinction droplet diameters. Simplified theoretical models correlate the measured burning rate constant and the flame standoff ratio reasonably well. An activation energy asymptotic theory accounting for time-dependent water dissolution or evaporation from the droplet is shown to predict the measured diffusive extinction conditions well. The experiments also show that the limiting oxygen index for methanol in these diluent gases is around 12% to

  11. An Interactive Microsoft(registered tm) Excel Program for Tracking a Single Evaporating Droplet in Crossflow

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liew, K. H.; Urip, E.; Yang, S. L.; Marek, C. J.

    2004-01-01

    Droplet interaction with a high temperature gaseous crossflow is important because of its wide application in systems involving two phase mixing such as in combustion requiring quick mixing of fuel and air with the reduction of pollutants and for jet mixing in the dilution zone of combustors. Therefore, the focus of this work is to investigate dispersion of a two-dimensional atomized and evaporating spray jet into a two-dimensional crossflow. An interactive Microsoft Excel program for tracking a single droplet in crossflow that has previously been developed will be modified to include droplet evaporation computation. In addition to the high velocity airflow, the injected droplets are also subjected to combustor temperature and pressure that affect their motion in the flow field. Six ordinary differential equations are then solved by 4th-order Runge-Kutta method using Microsoft Excel software. Microsoft Visual Basic programming and Microsoft Excel macrocode are used to produce the data and plot graphs describing the droplet's motion in the flow field. This program computes and plots the data sequentially without forcing the user to open other types of plotting programs. A user's manual on how to use the program is included.

  12. A study of the current group evaporation/combustion theories

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shen, Hayley H.

    1990-01-01

    Liquid fuel combustion can be greatly enhanced by disintegrating the liquid fuel into droplets, an effect achieved by various configurations. A number of experiments carried out in the seventies showed that combustion of droplet arrays and sprays do not form individual flames. Moreover, the rate of burning in spray combustion greatly deviates from that of the single combustion rate. Such observations naturally challenge its applicability to spray combustion. A number of mathematical models were developed to evaluate 'group combustion' and the related 'group evaporation' phenomena. This study investigates the similarity and difference of these models and their applicability to spray combustion. Future work that should be carried out in this area is indicated.

  13. Flame Spread and Group-Combustion Excitation in Randomly Distributed Droplet Clouds with Low-Volatility Fuel near the Excitation Limit: a Percolation Approach Based on Flame-Spread Characteristics in Microgravity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mikami, Masato; Saputro, Herman; Seo, Takehiko; Oyagi, Hiroshi

    2018-03-01

    Stable operation of liquid-fueled combustors requires the group combustion of fuel spray. Our study employs a percolation approach to describe unsteady group-combustion excitation based on findings obtained from microgravity experiments on the flame spread of fuel droplets. We focus on droplet clouds distributed randomly in three-dimensional square lattices with a low-volatility fuel, such as n-decane in room-temperature air, where the pre-vaporization effect is negligible. We also focus on the flame spread in dilute droplet clouds near the group-combustion-excitation limit, where the droplet interactive effect is assumed negligible. The results show that the occurrence probability of group combustion sharply decreases with the increase in mean droplet spacing around a specific value, which is termed the critical mean droplet spacing. If the lattice size is at smallest about ten times as large as the flame-spread limit distance, the flame-spread characteristics are similar to those over an infinitely large cluster. The number density of unburned droplets remaining after completion of burning attained maximum around the critical mean droplet spacing. Therefore, the critical mean droplet spacing is a good index for stable combustion and unburned hydrocarbon. In the critical condition, the flame spreads through complicated paths, and thus the characteristic time scale of flame spread over droplet clouds has a very large value. The overall flame-spread rate of randomly distributed droplet clouds is almost the same as the flame-spread rate of a linear droplet array except over the flame-spread limit.

  14. Deliquescence behavior of photo-irradiated single NaNO3 droplets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seng, Samantha; Guo, Fangqin; Tobon, Yeny A.; Ishikawa, Tomoki; Moreau, Myriam; Ishizaka, Shoji; Sobanska, Sophie

    2018-06-01

    Nitrate-containing particles are ubiquitous in the troposphere because of their secondary production due to anthropogenic emissions of NOx from the combustion of fossil fuels. Nitrate ions are recognized as photoactive species that may contribute to the formation of oxidants in the atmosphere through heterogeneous photochemical reactions. The chemical transformation of aerosol particles in the atmosphere often leads to modification of the particles' hygroscopic properties. Although the photo-transformation of nitrate ions into nitrite within aerosol particles has been investigated, the influence of the photoproducts formation on the hygroscopic behavior of particles has not been reported. In this study, we examined the hygroscopic properties of single, ultraviolet-irradiated NaNO3 droplets using Raman microspectrometry. We are the first demonstrated that irradiating NaNO3 particles affects their hygroscopic behavior. For short-term exposures, regarding hygroscopic behavior, the irradiated particles exhibited two-stage transitions that were clearly reproduced in the experimental NaNO3-NaNO2 phase diagram. The production of NO2- decreased the deliquescence relative humidity values. For long irradiation times (>5 h), these values are even more affected by the additional production of peroxynitrite and carbonate ions in individual droplets. The NaNO3-NaNO2 deliquescence phase diagram cannot explain the hygroscopic behavior of long-term irradiated particles. Finally, we demonstrated the influence that CO2 has on the photo-transformation process in NaNO3 droplets.

  15. 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.

  16. 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.

  17. Droplet Combustion and Non-Reactive Shear-Coaxial Jets with Transverse Acoustic Excitation

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-06-01

    for this. Recent studies at UCLA and at NASA Glenn Research Center by Dattarajan et al. [20, 21] have focused on methanol droplet combustion...via Trek PZD2000A high-voltage amplifiers, to each piezo-siren. The waveform generators output signals were locked in frequency. However, their phase...1.3. Verify the wire on Channel 1 of the Tenma oscilloscope (Model No. 72-6800) comes from the output voltage monitor on the Trek -1 amplifier

  18. High-throughput deterministic single-cell encapsulation and droplet pairing, fusion, and shrinkage in a single microfluidic device.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schoeman, Rogier M; Kemna, Evelien W M; Wolbers, Floor; van den Berg, Albert

    2014-02-01

    In this article, we present a microfluidic device capable of successive high-yield single-cell encapsulation in droplets, with additional droplet pairing, fusion, and shrinkage. Deterministic single-cell encapsulation is realized using Dean-coupled inertial ordering of cells in a Yin-Yang-shaped curved microchannel using a double T-junction, with a frequency over 2000 Hz, followed by controlled droplet pairing with a 100% success rate. Subsequently, droplet fusion is realized using electrical actuation resulting in electro-coalescence of two droplets, each containing a single HL60 cell, with 95% efficiency. Finally, volume reduction of the fused droplet up to 75% is achieved by a triple pitchfork structure. This droplet volume reduction is necessary to obtain close cell-cell membrane contact necessary for final cell electrofusion, leading to hybridoma formation, which is the ultimate aim of this research. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  19. Experimental study of the aluminum droplet combustion under forced convection. Influence of the gaseous atmosphere; Etude experimentale de la combustion des gouttes d'aluminium en convection forcee. Influence de l'atmosphere gazeuse

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sarou-Kanian, V.

    2003-12-15

    Because of its high energetic power, the combustion of aluminum particles in solid propellant rocket motors improves the efficiency of heavy-lift launcher as Ariane 5. Aluminum particles burn in a gaseous atmosphere essentially composed of H{sub 2}O, CO{sub 2}, N{sub 2}, HCl, H{sub 2}, and CO, at high pressure (P=60-70 atm) and high temperature (T>3000 K). In the present work, we have been particularly interested in the influence of the gaseous atmosphere on the different burning processes both in the gas-phase and at the aluminum droplet surface. An experimental set-up was developed in order to describe precisely, thanks to several analysis techniques (high-speed camera, pyrometry, spectrometry, SEM, nuclear activation) the combustion of aerodynamically levitated millimetric aluminum droplets in gas mixtures with compositions close to the propellant ones (H{sub 2}O, CO{sub 2}, N{sub 2}). The main result is that each species plays a different role in the aluminum combustion. The water vapor has the biggest influence in the gas-phase process due to the production of hydrogen facilitating the heat and mass diffusion between the flame and the droplet. Nitrogen is essentially acting in surface reactions with the formation of aluminum nitride (AlN) and oxynitride (AlON) which may completely cover the droplet and stop the gas-phase combustion. Carbon dioxide has a double effect. On the one hand, CO{sub 2} burns in the flame, but it is less efficient than H{sub 2}O because the heat and mass transfer properties are poorer for CO than for H{sub 2}. On the other hand, a carbon dissolution phenomenon occurs in the aluminum droplet during burning which may reach saturation (20-25% molar) and involves a carbon rejection at the surface leading to the end of the gas-phase combustion. (author)

  20. 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.

  1. Development of Single Optical Sensor Method for the Measurement Droplet Parameters

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Tae Ho; Ahn, Tae Hwan; Yun, Byong Jo [Pusan National University, Busan (Korea, Republic of); Bae, Byoung Uhn; Kim, Kyoung Doo [KAERI, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-05-15

    In this study, we tried to develop single optical fiber probe(S-TOP) sensor method to measure droplet parameters such as diameter, droplet fraction, and droplet velocity and so on. To calibrate and confirm the optical fiber sensor for those parameters, we conducted visualization experiments by using a high speed camera with the optical sensor. To evaluate the performance of the S-TOP accurately, we repeated calibration experiments at a given droplet flow condition. Figure. 3 shows the result of the calibration. In this graph, the x axis is the droplet velocity measured by visualization and the y axis is grd, D which is obtained from S-TOP. In this study, we have developed the single tip optical probe sensor to measure the droplet parameters. From the calibration experiments with high speed camera, we get the calibration curve for the droplet velocity. Additionally, the chord length distribution of droplets is measured by the optical probe.

  2. Development of Single Optical Sensor Method for the Measurement Droplet Parameters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Tae Ho; Ahn, Tae Hwan; Yun, Byong Jo; Bae, Byoung Uhn; Kim, Kyoung Doo

    2016-01-01

    In this study, we tried to develop single optical fiber probe(S-TOP) sensor method to measure droplet parameters such as diameter, droplet fraction, and droplet velocity and so on. To calibrate and confirm the optical fiber sensor for those parameters, we conducted visualization experiments by using a high speed camera with the optical sensor. To evaluate the performance of the S-TOP accurately, we repeated calibration experiments at a given droplet flow condition. Figure. 3 shows the result of the calibration. In this graph, the x axis is the droplet velocity measured by visualization and the y axis is grd, D which is obtained from S-TOP. In this study, we have developed the single tip optical probe sensor to measure the droplet parameters. From the calibration experiments with high speed camera, we get the calibration curve for the droplet velocity. Additionally, the chord length distribution of droplets is measured by the optical probe.

  3. Transcritical phenomena of autoignited fuel droplet at high pressures under microgravity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Segawa, Daisuke; Kajikawa, Tomoki; Kadoka, Toshikazu

    2005-09-01

    An experimental study has been performed under microgravity to obtain the detailed information needed for the deep understanding of the combustion phenomena of single fuel droplets which autoignite in supercritical gaseous environment. The microgravity environments both in a capsule of a drop shaft and during the parabolic flight of an aircraft were utilized for the experiments. An octadecanol droplet suspended at the tip of a fine quartz fiber in the cold section of the high-pressure combustion chamber was transferred quickly to be subjected to a hot gaseous medium in an electric furnace, this followed by autoignition and combustion of the fuel droplet in supercritical gaseous environment. High-pressure gaseous mixture of oxygen and nitrogen was used as the ambient gas. Temporal variation of temperature of the fuel droplet in supercritical gaseous environment was examined using an embedded fine thermocouple. Sequential backlighted images of the autoignited fuel droplet or the lump of fuel were acquired in supercritical gaseous environment with reduced oxygen concentration. The observed pressure dependence of the ignition delay and that of the burning time of the droplet with the embedded thermocouple were consistent with the previous results. Simultaneous imaging with thermometry showed that the appearance of the fuel changed remarkably at measured fuel temperatures around the critical temperature of the pure fuel. The interface temperature of the fuel rose well beyond the critical temperature of the pure fuel in supercritical gaseous environment. The fuel was gasified long before the end of combustion in supercritical gaseous environment. The proportion of the gasification time to the burning time decreased monotonically with increasing the ambient pressure.

  4. 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.

  5. Internal and surface phenomena in metal combustion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dreizin, Edward L.; Molodetsky, Irina E.; Law, Chung K.

    1995-01-01

    Combustion of metals has been widely studied in the past, primarily because of their high oxidation enthalpies. A general understanding of metal combustion has been developed based on the recognition of the existence of both vapor-phase and surface reactions and involvement of the reaction products in the ensuing heterogeneous combustion. However, distinct features often observed in metal particle combustion, such as brightness oscillations and jumps (spearpoints), disruptive burning, and non-symmetric flames are not currently understood. Recent metal combustion experiments using uniform high-temperature metal droplets produced by a novel micro-arc technique have indicated that oxygen dissolves in the interior of burning particles of certain metals and that the subsequent transformations of the metal-oxygen solutions into stoichiometric oxides are accompanied with sufficient heat release to cause observed brightness and temperature jumps. Similar oxygen dissolution has been observed in recent experiments on bulk iron combustion but has not been associated with such dramatic effects. This research addresses heterogeneous metal droplet combustion, specifically focusing on oxygen penetration into the burning metal droplets, and its influence on the metal combustion rate, temperature history, and disruptive burning. A unique feature of the experimental approach is the combination of the microgravity environment with a novel micro-arc Generator of Monodispersed Metal Droplets (GEMMED), ensuring repeatable formation and ignition of uniform metal droplets with controllable initial temperature and velocity. The droplet initial temperatures can be adjusted within a wide range from just above the metal melting point, which provides means to ignite droplets instantly upon entering an oxygen containing environment. Initial droplet velocity will be set equal to zero allowing one to organize metal combustion microgravity experiments in a fashion similar to usual microgravity

  6. High-throughput deterministic single-cell encapsulation and droplet pairing, fusion, and shrinkage in a single microfluidic device

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Schoeman, R.M.; Kemna, Evelien; Wolbers, F.; van den Berg, Albert

    In this article, we present a microfluidic device capable of successive high-yield single-cell encapsulation in droplets, with additional droplet pairing, fusion, and shrinkage. Deterministic single-cell encapsulation is realized using Dean-coupled inertial ordering of cells in a Yin-Yang-shaped

  7. A Numerical Comparison of Spray Combustion between Raw and Water-in-Oil Emulsified Fuel

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    D. Tarlet

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available Heavy fuel-oils, used engine oils and animal fat can be used as dense, viscous combustibles within industrial boilers. Burning these combustibles in the form of an emulsion with water enables to decrease the flame length and the formation of carbonaceous residue, in comparison with raw combustibles. These effects are due to the secondary atomization among the spray, which is a consequence of the micro-explosion phenomenon. This phenomenon acts in a single emulsion droplet by the fast (< 0.1 ms vaporization of the inside water droplets, leading to complete disintegration of the whole emulsion droplet. First, the present work demonstrates a model of spray combustion of raw fuel. Secondly, the spray combustion of water-in-oil emulsified fuel is exposed to the same burning conditions, taking into account the micro-explosion phenomenon. Finally, the comparison between the results with and without second atomization shows some similar qualitative tendencies with experimental measurements from the literature.

  8. Toward single enzyme analysis in a droplet-based micro and nanofluidic system

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Arayanarakool, Rerngchai

    2012-01-01

    In this thesis, we have demonstrated the application of micro- and nanofluidic devices to generate an array of aqueous droplets in oil phase for single-enzyme encapsulation and activity measurement. We chose droplet-based microfluidics for this purpose of monitoring single-enzyme reactions since the

  9. Addressable droplet microarrays for single cell protein analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salehi-Reyhani, Ali; Burgin, Edward; Ces, Oscar; Willison, Keith R; Klug, David R

    2014-11-07

    Addressable droplet microarrays are potentially attractive as a way to achieve miniaturised, reduced volume, high sensitivity analyses without the need to fabricate microfluidic devices or small volume chambers. We report a practical method for producing oil-encapsulated addressable droplet microarrays which can be used for such analyses. To demonstrate their utility, we undertake a series of single cell analyses, to determine the variation in copy number of p53 proteins in cells of a human cancer cell line.

  10. Morphology development during single droplet drying of mixed component formulations and milk

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Both, E.M.; Nuzzo, N.; Millqvist-Fureby, A.; Boom, R.M.; Schutyser, M.A.I.

    2018-01-01

    We report on the influence of selected components and their mixtures on the development of the morphology during drying of single droplets and extend the results to the morphology of whole milk powder particles. Sessile single droplet drying and acoustic levitation methods were employed to study

  11. Experiments on Nitrogen Oxide Production of Droplet Arrays Burning under Microgravity Conditions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moesl, Klaus; Sattelmayer, Thomas; Kikuchi, Masao; Yamamoto, Shin; Yoda, Shinichi

    . One droplet array consisted of five droplets (for sounding rocket) and 9 -17 droplets (for drop tower) of the hydrocarbon n-decane (C10 H22 ). While keeping the pressure at 1.0 bar (+/-20 mbar), the combustion chamber temperature and the fuel vaporization time were varied in the range of 300 -500 K and 0.5 -18 s, respectively. Consequently, the total amount of fuel, the local equivalence ratio Φ along the droplet array, and the dimensionless droplet spacing S/d0 , with d0 being the initial droplet diameter, were adapted. Ignition was initiated by a hot-wire igniter from one end of the droplet array. Representative gas samples were collected from every single combustion sequence after flame extinction and stored in specially treated gas sampling cylinders for their succeeding analysis on ground. Visual observation of the combustion process, as well as temperature and pressure logging, supported the scientific interpretation of the gas analysis. With an increase of the preheating temperature, NOX emissions increase due to a higher effec-tive flame temperatures. However, with an increasing pre-vaporization, NOX emissions become lower due to the dropping number and the dropping size of burning droplets, acting as hot spots. A correction for the effect of the preheating temperature was developed. It reveals the effect of pre-vaporization and shows that the NOX emissions are almost independent of it for near-stoichiometric operation. At overall lean conditions the NOX emissions drop non-linearly with the degree of vaporization. Up to now, this leads to the conclusion that a high degree of vaporization is required in order to achieve substantial NOX abatement.

  12. Sliding three-phase contact line of printed droplets for single-crystal arrays

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuang, Minxuan; Wu, Lei; Li, Yifan; Gao, Meng; Zhang, Xingye; Jiang, Lei; Song, Yanlin

    2016-01-01

    Controlling the behaviours of printed droplets is an essential requirement for inkjet printing of delicate three-dimensional (3D) structures or high-resolution patterns. In this work, molecular deposition and crystallization are regulated by manipulating the three-phase contact line (TCL) behaviour of the printed droplets. The results show that oriented single-crystal arrays are fabricated based on the continuously sliding TCL. Owing to the sliding of the TCL on the substrate, the outward capillary flow within the evaporating droplet is suppressed and the molecules are brought to the centre of the droplet, resulting in the formation of a single crystal. This work provides a facile strategy for controlling the structures of printed units by manipulating the TCL of printed droplets, which is significant for realizing high-resolution patterns and delicate 3D structures. (paper)

  13. Methanol Droplet Extinction in Oxygen/Carbon-dioxide/Nitrogen Mixtures in Microgravity: Results from the International Space Station Experiments

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2012-01-01

    Motivated by the need to understand the flammability limits of condensed-phase fuels in microgravity, isolated single droplet combustion experiments were carried out in the Combustion Integrated Rack Facility onboard the International Space Station. Experimental observations of methanol droplet combustion and extinction in oxygen/carbon-dioxide/nitrogen mixtures at 0.7 and 1 atmospheric pressure in quiescent microgravity environment are reported for initial droplet diameters varying between 2 mm to 4 mm in this study.The ambient oxygen concentration was systematically lowered from test to test so as to approach the limiting oxygen index (LOI) at fixed ambient pressure. At one atmosphere pressure, ignition and some burning were observed for an oxygen concentration of 13% with the rest being nitrogen. In addition, measured droplet burning rates, flame stand-off ratios, and extinction diameters are presented for varying concentrations of oxygen and diluents. Simplified theoretical models are presented to explain the observed variations in extinction diameter and flame stand-off ratios.

  14. 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.

  15. 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.

  16. 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

  17. Path selection rules for droplet trains in single-lane microfluidic networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amon, A.; Schmit, A.; Salkin, L.; Courbin, L.; Panizza, P.

    2013-07-01

    We investigate the transport of periodic trains of droplets through microfluidic networks having one inlet, one outlet, and nodes consisting of T junctions. Variations of the dilution of the trains, i.e., the distance between drops, reveal the existence of various hydrodynamic regimes characterized by the number of preferential paths taken by the drops. As the dilution increases, this number continuously decreases until only one path remains explored. Building on a continuous approach used to treat droplet traffic through a single asymmetric loop, we determine selection rules for the paths taken by the drops and we predict the variations of the fraction of droplets taking these paths with the parameters at play including the dilution. Our results show that as dilution decreases, the paths are selected according to the ascending order of their hydrodynamic resistance in the absence of droplets. The dynamics of these systems controlled by time-delayed feedback is complex: We observe a succession of periodic regimes separated by a wealth of bifurcations as the dilution is varied. In contrast to droplet traffic in single asymmetric loops, the dynamical behavior in networks of loops is sensitive to initial conditions because of extra degrees of freedom.

  18. Massively parallel whole genome amplification for single-cell sequencing using droplet microfluidics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hosokawa, Masahito; Nishikawa, Yohei; Kogawa, Masato; Takeyama, Haruko

    2017-07-12

    Massively parallel single-cell genome sequencing is required to further understand genetic diversities in complex biological systems. Whole genome amplification (WGA) is the first step for single-cell sequencing, but its throughput and accuracy are insufficient in conventional reaction platforms. Here, we introduce single droplet multiple displacement amplification (sd-MDA), a method that enables massively parallel amplification of single cell genomes while maintaining sequence accuracy and specificity. Tens of thousands of single cells are compartmentalized in millions of picoliter droplets and then subjected to lysis and WGA by passive droplet fusion in microfluidic channels. Because single cells are isolated in compartments, their genomes are amplified to saturation without contamination. This enables the high-throughput acquisition of contamination-free and cell specific sequence reads from single cells (21,000 single-cells/h), resulting in enhancement of the sequence data quality compared to conventional methods. This method allowed WGA of both single bacterial cells and human cancer cells. The obtained sequencing coverage rivals those of conventional techniques with superior sequence quality. In addition, we also demonstrate de novo assembly of uncultured soil bacteria and obtain draft genomes from single cell sequencing. This sd-MDA is promising for flexible and scalable use in single-cell sequencing.

  19. Study on Spray Characteristics and Spray Droplets Dynamic Behavior of Diesel Engine Fueled by Rapeseed Oil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sapit Azwan

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Fuel-air mixing is important process in diesel combustion. It directly affects the combustion and emission of diesel engine. Biomass fuel needs great help to atomize because the fuel has high viscosity and high distillation temperature. This study investigates the atomization characteristics and droplet dynamic behaviors of diesel engine spray fueled by rapeseed oil (RO. Optical observation of RO spray was carried out using shadowgraph photography technique. Single nano-spark photography technique was used to study the characteristics of the rapeseed oil spray while dual nano-spark shadowgraph technique was used to study the spray droplet behavior. The results show that RO has very poor atomization due to the high viscosity nature of the fuel. This is in agreement with the results from spray droplet dynamic behavior studies that shows due to the high viscosity, the droplets are large in size and travel downward, with very little influence of entrainment effect due to its large kinematic energy.

  20. Final Technical Report: Vibrational Spectroscopy of Transient Combustion Intermediates Trapped in Helium Nanodroplets

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Douberly, Gary Elliott [Univ. of Georgia, Athens, GA (United States)

    2017-11-16

    The objective of our experimental research program is to isolate and stabilize transient intermediates and products of prototype combustion reactions. This will be accomplished by Helium Nanodroplet Isolation, a novel technique where liquid helium droplets freeze out high energy metastable configurations of a reacting system, permitting infrared spectroscopic characterizations of products and intermediates that result from hydrocarbon radical reactions with molecular oxygen and other small molecules relevant to combustion environments. The low temperature (0.4 K) and rapid cooling associated with He droplets provides a perfectly suited medium to isolate and probe a broad range of molecular radical and carbene systems important to combustion chemistry. The sequential addition of molecular species to He droplets often leads to the stabilization of high-energy, metastable cluster configurations that represent regions of the potential energy surface far from the global minimum. Single and double resonance IR laser spectroscopy techniques, along with Stark and Zeeman capabilities, are being used to probe the structural and dynamical properties of these systems.

  1. The Influence of Acoustic Field Induced by HRT on Oscillation Behavior of a Single Droplet

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Can Ruan

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents an experimental and theoretical study on the effects of an acoustic field induced by Hartmann Resonance Tube (HRT on droplet deformation behavior. The characteristics of the acoustic field generated by HRT are investigated. Results show that the acoustic frequency decreases with the increase of the resonator length, the sound pressure level (SPL increases with the increase of nozzle pressure ratio (NPR, and it is also noted that increasing resonator length can cause SPL to decrease, which has rarely been reported in published literature. Further theoretical analysis reveals that the resonance frequency of a droplet has several modes, and when the acoustic frequency equals the droplet’s frequency, heightened droplet responses are observed with the maximum amplitude of the shape oscillation. The experimental results for different resonator cavity lengths, nozzle pressure ratios and droplet diameters confirm the non-linear nature of this problem, and this conclusion is in good agreement with theoretical analysis. Measurements by high speed camera have shown that the introduction of an acoustic field can greatly enhance droplet oscillation, which means with the use of an ultrasonic atomizer based on HRT, the quality of atomization and combustion can be highly improved.

  2. Multi-User Hardware Solutions to Combustion Science ISS Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Otero, Angel M.

    2001-01-01

    In response to the budget environment and to expand on the International Space Station (ISS) Fluids and Combustion Facility (FCF) Combustion Integrated Rack (CIR), common hardware approach, the NASA Combustion Science Program shifted focus in 1999 from single investigator PI (Principal Investigator)-specific hardware to multi-user 'Minifacilities'. These mini-facilities would take the CIR common hardware philosophy to the next level. The approach that was developed re-arranged all the investigations in the program into sub-fields of research. Then common requirements within these subfields were used to develop a common system that would then be complemented by a few PI-specific components. The sub-fields of research selected were droplet combustion, solids and fire safety, and gaseous fuels. From these research areas three mini-facilities have sprung: the Multi-user Droplet Combustion Apparatus (MDCA) for droplet research, Flow Enclosure for Novel Investigations in Combustion of Solids (FEANICS) for solids and fire safety, and the Multi-user Gaseous Fuels Apparatus (MGFA) for gaseous fuels. These mini-facilities will develop common Chamber Insert Assemblies (CIA) and diagnostics for the respective investigators complementing the capability provided by CIR. Presently there are four investigators for MDCA, six for FEANICS, and four for MGFA. The goal of these multi-user facilities is to drive the cost per PI down after the initial development investment is made. Each of these mini-facilities will become a fixture of future Combustion Science NASA Research Announcements (NRAs), enabling investigators to propose against an existing capability. Additionally, an investigation is provided the opportunity to enhance the existing capability to bridge the gap between the capability and their specific science requirements. This multi-user development approach will enable the Combustion Science Program to drive cost per investigation down while drastically reducing the time

  3. PM From the Combustion of heavy fuel oils

    KAUST Repository

    Elbaz, Ayman M.

    2018-03-30

    This work presents an experimental study investigating the formation and oxidation of particulate matter from the combustion of heavy fuel oil, HFO, droplets. The study includes results from both a falling droplet in a drop tube furnace and a suspended droplet in a heated convective flow. The falling droplets in a heated coflow air with variable temperature path and velocity were combusted and the resulting particles, cenospheres, were collected. To characterize the microstructure of these particles, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive X-Ray (EDX) analysis were used. The particles were found to have either a porous or a skeleton/membrane morphology. The percentage of particles of either type appears to be related to the thermal history, which was controlled by the heated co-flow velocity. In the suspended droplet experiments, by suspending the droplet on a thermocouple, the temperature inside the droplet was measured while simultaneously imaging the various burning phases. A number of specific phases were identified, from liquid to solid phase combustion are presented and discussed. The droplet ignition temperature was seen to be independent of the droplet size. However, the liquid phase ignition delay time and the droplet lifetime were directly proportional to the initial droplet diameter.

  4. Structure observation of single solidified droplet by in situ controllable quenching based on nanocalorimetry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhao, Bingge; Li, Linfang; Yang, Bin; Yan, Ming; Zhai, Qijie; Gao, Yulai

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: •Controllable quenching rate up to 15,000 K/s was realized by FSC. •FSC sample was novelly characterized by FIB and HRTEM. •Solidification structure with undercooling of 110.9 K was investigated. •This study opens a new approach in rapid solidification and FSC measurement. -- Abstract: Fast scanning calorimetry (FSC) based on nanocalorimetry and thin film technique is a newly developed attractive tool to investigate the solidification behavior of single droplet by in situ controllable ultrafast cooling. In this paper, we introduced this novel technique to in situ control the quenching of single Sn3.5Ag metallic droplet at cooling rate up to 15,000 K/s with corresponding undercooling of 110.9 K. In particular, the solidification structure of this real time quenched single droplet was observed and analyzed with focused ion beam (FIB), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). This research proposed a new approach to research the solidification structure of single droplet with precisely controlled size and extreme cooling rate

  5. Numerical prediction of CO2 capture process by a single droplet in alkaline spray

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, Wei-Hsin; Tsai, Ming-Hang; Hung, Chen-I

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: • CO 2 capture by a single droplet is studied numerically. • Three different initial pH values of 10, 11, and 12 in the droplet are considered. • The initial pH value has a significant influence on the capture process. • The carbon capture rate is raised as the initial pH value rises. • The droplet with the initial pH value of 12 is feasible to perform CO 2 capture. - Abstract: Carbon dioxide captured by single droplets in sprays plays a fundamental role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This study focuses on CO 2 capture processes in single droplets in alkaline sprays using a numerical method. Three different initial pH values of 10, 11, and 12 in the droplet are considered. The capture behavior in the absence of chemical dissociation is also investigated for comparison. The predictions suggest that the chemical dissociation in the droplet substantially elongates the CO 2 capture process and the mass diffusion is the controlling mechanism of CO 2 capture process. For the chemical absorption, the final CO 2 capture amount by the droplet is mainly determined by HCO 3 - which is significantly influenced by the initial pH value. An increase in initial pH value raises the carbon capture amount by the droplet. The mean concentration of CO 3 2- is highly related to the variation of mean pH value, but its concentration is by far lower than those of H 2 O⋅CO 2 and HCO 3 - . Corresponding to the initial pH values of 10, 11, and 12, the times required for turning the basic droplet to the acidic one are in the orders of 10, 100, and 1000 ms. On account of larger carbon capture amount and shorter absorption period at a higher initial pH value, the carbon capture rate is lifted as the initial pH value rises, and CO 2 capture by droplets at the initial pH value of 12 is better than those at 10 and 11

  6. Pengaruh Persentase Biodiesel Minyak Nyamplung – Solar terhadap Karakteristik Pembakaran Droplet

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Misbach Udin

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this research is to investigate the effect of biodiesel percentage on the droplet combustion characteristic of calophyllum inophyllum biodiesel-diesel fuel blended. The combustion characteristic included ignition delay time, flame visualization, burning rate, and flame temperature. Testing was conducted using fuel blended with biodiesel percentage of 0%, 10%, 30%, 50% and 100%. The fuel was dripped and shaped a droplet that placed on the tip of thermocouple junction and ignited using a heater. The result shown that the ignition delay time increase with increasing biodiesel percentage due to its high flash point temperature and low volatility. Furthermore, burning rate and flame temperature increase with the increasing biodiesel percentage in the blended. These phenomena related to more microexplosion occurrence in the droplet combustion of fuel blended with higher biodiesel content. The last result shown that combustion of diesel fuel droplet has the highest flame dimension, related to its low burning rate and faster vapor diffusion rate.

  7. Aerosols generated by 239PU and 233U droplets burning in air

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nelson, L.S.; Raabe, O.G.

    1978-01-01

    The inhalation hazards of radioactive aerosols produced by the explosive disruption and subsequent combustion of metallic plutonium in air are not adequately understood. Results of a study to determine whether uranium can be substituted for plutonium in such a situation in which experiments were performed under identical conditions with laser-ignited, single, freely falling droplets of 239 Pu and 233 U are reported. The total amounts of aerosol produced were studied quantitatively as a function of time during the combustion. Also, particle size distributions of selected aerosols were studied with aerodynamic particle separation techniques. Results showed that the ultimate quantity of aerosols, their final particle size distributions, and depositions as a function of time are not identical mainly because of the different vapor pressures of the metals, and the unlike degrees of violence of the explosions of the droplets

  8. Effect of single aerosol droplets on plasma impedance in the inductively coupled plasma

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chan, George C.-Y., E-mail: gcchan@indiana.edu; Zhu, Zhenli; Hieftje, Gary M.

    2012-10-15

    The impedance of an inductively coupled plasma was indirectly monitored by two different means-through a RF-probe coil placed inside the torch housing and from tapping the phase-detector signal of the impedance-matching network. During single-droplet introduction, temporal spikes in both the RF-probe coil and the phase-detector signals were readily observed, indicating a momentary change in plasma impedance. The changes in plasma impedance were found to be due solely to plasma perturbation by droplet introduction, and not to an artifact caused by imperfect automatic impedance matching. The temporal changes in plasma impedance were found to be directly proportional to the temporally integrated atomic emission of hydrogen, which is assumed in turn to be directly proportional to the volume of the introduced droplet. A small satellite droplet, with an estimated diameter of 27 {mu}m (i.e., {approx} 10 pL in volume), caused a readily measurable change in plasma impedance. By assuming that the change in RF-probe voltage is directly proportional to the variation in RF power delivered by the load coil, the instantaneous power change coupled to the plasma during single-droplet introduction was estimated. Typical increases in peak RF power and total energy coupled to the plasma, for a single 50-{mu}m droplet introduction, were thereby estimated to be around 8 to 11 W and 0.03 to 0.04 J, respectively. This impedance change was also exploited as a trigger to signal the droplet-introduction event into the plasma. This trigger signal was obtained through a combination of the RF-probe and the phase-detector signals and offered typical jitter from 1 to 2 ms. With the proper choice of a trigger threshold, no trigger misfire resulted and the achievable efficiencies of the trigger signal were 99.95, 97.18 and 74.33% for plasma forward power levels of 900, 1200, and 1500 W, respectively. The baseline noise on the RF-probe coil and the phase-detector signals, which increase with plasma

  9. FY 1994 annual report. Advanced combustion science utilizing microgravity

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1994-10-01

    Researches on combustion in microgravity were conducted to develop combustion devices for advanced combustion techniques, and thereby to cope with the requirements for diversification of energy sources and abatement of environmental pollution by exhaust gases. This project was implemented under the research cooperation agreement with US's NASA, and the Japanese experts visited NASA's test facilities. NASA's Lewis Research Center has drop test facilities, of which the 2.2-sec drop test facilities are useful for researches by Japan. The cooperative research themes for combustion in microgravity selected include interactions between fuel droplets, high-pressure combustion of binary fuel sprays, and ignition and subsequent flame propagation in microgravity. An ignition test equipment, density field measurement equipment and flame propagation test equipment were constructed in Japan to conduct the combustion tests in microgravity for, e.g., combustion and evaporation of fuel droplets, combustion characteristics of liquid fuels mixed with solid particles, combustion of coal/oil mixture droplets, and estimating flammability limits. (NEDO)

  10. Large-eddy simulation of ethanol spray combustion using a finite-rate combustion model

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, K.; Zhou, L.X. [Tsinghua Univ., Beijing (China). Dept. of Engineering Mechanics; Chan, C.K. [Hong Kong Polytechnic Univ. (China). Dept. of Applied Mathematics

    2013-07-01

    Large-eddy simulation of spray combustion is under its rapid development, but the combustion models are less validated by detailed experimental data. In this paper, large-eddy simulation of ethanol-air spray combustion was made using an Eulerian-Lagrangian approach, a subgrid-scale kinetic energy stress model, and a finite-rate combustion model. The simulation results are validated in detail by experiments. The LES obtained statistically averaged temperature is in agreement with the experimental results in most regions. The instantaneous LES results show the coherent structures of the shear region near the high-temperature flame zone and the fuel vapor concentration map, indicating the droplets are concentrated in this shear region. The droplet sizes are found to be in the range of 20-100{mu}m. The instantaneous temperature map shows the close interaction between the coherent structures and the combustion reaction.

  11. 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.

  12. On-chip real-time single-copy polymerase chain reaction in picoliter droplets

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Beer, N R; Hindson, B; Wheeler, E; Hall, S B; Rose, K A; Kennedy, I; Colston, B

    2007-04-20

    The first lab-on-chip system for picoliter droplet generation and PCR amplification with real-time fluorescence detection has performed PCR in isolated droplets at volumes 10{sup 6} smaller than commercial real-time PCR systems. The system utilized a shearing T-junction in a silicon device to generate a stream of monodisperse picoliter droplets that were isolated from the microfluidic channel walls and each other by the oil phase carrier. An off-chip valving system stopped the droplets on-chip, allowing them to be thermal cycled through the PCR protocol without droplet motion. With this system a 10-pL droplet, encapsulating less than one copy of viral genomic DNA through Poisson statistics, showed real-time PCR amplification curves with a cycle threshold of {approx}18, twenty cycles earlier than commercial instruments. This combination of the established real-time PCR assay with digital microfluidics is ideal for isolating single-copy nucleic acids in a complex environment.

  13. Monodisperse Picoliter Droplets for Low-Bias and Contamination-Free Reactions in Single-Cell Whole Genome Amplification.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yohei Nishikawa

    Full Text Available Whole genome amplification (WGA is essential for obtaining genome sequences from single bacterial cells because the quantity of template DNA contained in a single cell is very low. Multiple displacement amplification (MDA, using Phi29 DNA polymerase and random primers, is the most widely used method for single-cell WGA. However, single-cell MDA usually results in uneven genome coverage because of amplification bias, background amplification of contaminating DNA, and formation of chimeras by linking of non-contiguous chromosomal regions. Here, we present a novel MDA method, termed droplet MDA, that minimizes amplification bias and amplification of contaminants by using picoliter-sized droplets for compartmentalized WGA reactions. Extracted DNA fragments from a lysed cell in MDA mixture are divided into 105 droplets (67 pL within minutes via flow through simple microfluidic channels. Compartmentalized genome fragments can be individually amplified in these droplets without the risk of encounter with reagent-borne or environmental contaminants. Following quality assessment of WGA products from single Escherichia coli cells, we showed that droplet MDA minimized unexpected amplification and improved the percentage of genome recovery from 59% to 89%. Our results demonstrate that microfluidic-generated droplets show potential as an efficient tool for effective amplification of low-input DNA for single-cell genomics and greatly reduce the cost and labor investment required for determination of nearly complete genome sequences of uncultured bacteria from environmental samples.

  14. A new stationary droplet evaporation model and its validation

    OpenAIRE

    Fang WANG; Jie YAO; Shaofeng YANG; Rui LIU; Jie JIN

    2017-01-01

    The liquid droplet evaporation character is important for not only combustion chamber design process but also high-accuracy spray combustion simulation. In this paper, the suspended droplets’ evaporation character was measured in a quiescent high-temperature environment by micro high-speed camera system. The gasoline and kerosene experimental results are consistent with the reference data. Methanol, common kerosene and aviation kerosene droplet evaporation characteristics, as well as their ev...

  15. New black liquor combustion characteristics II; Mustalipeaen uudet poltto-ominaisuudet II

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hupa, M.; Backman, R.; Bostroem, S.; Forssen, M.; Uusikartano, T. [Aabo Akademi, Turku (Finland)

    1996-12-01

    In an earlier study (LIEKKI 2, Y 17), the combustion characteristics of 17 liquors of different origin were studied by four laboratory tests. These tests were (1) single droplet burning, (2) single droplet pyrolysis, (3) pressurized gasification, and (4) calculation of melting properties of inorganic carryover particles. The study showed that there are big differences between liquors of different origin. These differences strongly affect the combustion properties, i.e. pyrolysis and burning times, swelling, and fouling tendency of heat transfer surfaces. The objective for the present research project was to investigate the reasons why some properties affect the combustion behavior more than others. The project is partly complementary to the previous study, partly a more detailed study of some of the phenomena observed earlier. The work constitutes of the following studies: (1) further study of several more liquors by the same methods, (2) pyrolysis swelling in inert gas (N{sub 2}) at two temperatures, 700 deg C and 900 deg C, (3) effect of heat treatment black liquors, (4) effect of addition of sodium compounds to a virgin black liquor, (5) data treatment and correlations, (6) nitrogen oxide formation tendency. (author)

  16. 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.

  17. Experimental study of sodium droplet burning in free fall. Evaluation of preliminary test results

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miyahara, Shinya; Ara, Kuniaki

    1998-08-01

    To study a sodium leak and combustion behavior phenomenologically and to construct the mechanistic evaluation method, an experimental series of a sodium droplet burning in free fall is under way. In this study, the accuracy of measurement technique used in the preliminary test was assessed and the modified technique was proposed for the next test series. Analytical study of the test results was also conducted to deduce dominant parameters and important measurement items which would play an important role in the droplet combustion behavior. The results and conclusions are as follows: (1) Assessment of measurement accuracy and modified technique proposed for the next test series. a) Control accuracy of sodium supply system using β-alumina solid electrolyte was sufficient for generation of objective size of single droplet. However, it is necessary to calibrate the correlation between the quantity of electric charge for sodium supply system and that of supplied sodium. b) Measurement accuracy of falling velocity using high-speed video was ±0.33 m/s at an upper part and ±0.48 m/s at a lower part of the measurement. To reduce the error, a high-speed stroboscopic method is recommended to measure the falling velocity of droplet. (2) Results of analytical study and deduced dominant parameters and important measurement items. a) The falling behavior of a burning droplet was described solving the equation of free falling motion for a rigid sphere. In the case of higher falling height, it is necessary to study the burning effects on the falling behavior. b) The mass burned of a falling droplet was calculated using the combustion model according to 'D 2 ' law during the full burning phase. It is necessary to study the dominant chemical reaction in the burning flame because the mass burned depends on the composition of the reaction products. c) The mass burned was calculated using surface oxidation model for preignition phase together with above model. However, it is

  18. 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.

  19. Internal and Surface Phenomena in Heterogenous Metal Combustion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dreizin, Edward L.

    1997-01-01

    The phenomenon of gas dissolution in burning metals was observed in recent metal combustion studies, but it could not be adequately explained by the traditional metal combustion models. The research reported here addresses heterogeneous metal combustion with emphasis on the processes of oxygen penetration inside burning metal and its influence on the metal combustion rate, temperature history, and disruptive burning. The unique feature of this work is the combination of the microgravity environment with a novel micro-arc generator of monodispersed metal droplets, ensuring repeatable formation and ignition of uniform metal droplets with a controllable initial temperature and velocity. Burning droplet temperature is measured in real time with a three wavelength pyrometer. In addition, particles are rapidly quenched at different combustion times, cross-sectioned, and examined using SEM-based techniques to retrieve the internal composition history of burning metal particles. When the initial velocity of a spherical particle is nearly zero, the microgravity environment makes it possible to study the flame structure, the development of flame nonsymmetry, and correlation of the flame shape with the heterogeneous combustion processes.

  20. 1998 annual report of advanced combustion science utilizing microgravity

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1999-03-01

    For the purpose of stabilizing energy supply, diversifying energy supply sources and reducing the worsening of global environment caused by combustion exhaust gases, advanced combustion technology was studied and the FY 1998 results were summarized. Following the previous year, the following were conducted: international research jointly with NASA, experiments using microgravity test facilities of Japan Space Utilization Promotion Center (JSUP), evaluation studies made by universities/national research institutes/private companies, etc. In the FY 1998 joint study, a total of 52 drop experiments were carried out on 4 themes using test facilities of Japan Microgravity Center (JAMIC), and 100 experiments were conducted on one theme using test facilities of NASA. In the study using microgravity test facilities, the following were carried out: study of combustion and evaporation of fuel droplets, study of ignition/combustion of fuel droplets in the suspending state, study of combustion of spherical/cylinder state liquid fuels, study of high pressure combustion of binary fuel spray, study of interaction combustion of fuel droplets in the microgravity field, etc. (NEDO)

  1. Experimental Assessment of the Mass of Ash Residue During the Burning of Droplets of a Composite Liquid Fuel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Glushkov, D. O.; Zakharevich, A. V.; Strizhak, P. A.; Syrodoi, S. V.

    2018-05-01

    An experimental study has been made of the regularities of burning of single droplets of typical compositions of a composite liquid fuel during the heating by an air flow with a varied temperature (600-900 K). As the basic components of the compositions of the composite liquid fuel, use was made of the: waste of processing (filter cakes) of bituminous coals of ranks K, C, and T, waste motor, turbine, and transformer oils, process mixture of mazut and oil, heavy crude, and plasticizer. The weight fraction of a liquid combustible component (petroleum) product) ranged within 0-15%. Consideration has been given to droplets of a composite liquid fuel with dimensions (radius) of 0.5 to 2 mm. Conditions of low-temperature initiation of combustion to ensure a minimum possible mass of solid incombustible residue have been determined. Petroleum products have been singled out whose addition to the composition of the composite liquid fuel tends to increase the ash mass (compared to the corresponding composition without a liquid combustible component). Approximation dependences have been obtained which permit predicting the influence of the concentration of the liquid petroleum product as part of the composite liquid fuel on the ash-residue mass.

  2. Diffusive growth of a single droplet with three different boundary conditions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tavassoli, Z.; Rodgers, G. J.

    2000-02-01

    We study a single, motionless three-dimensional droplet growing by adsorption of diffusing monomers on a 2D substrate. The diffusing monomers are adsorbed at the aggregate perimeter of the droplet with different boundary conditions. Models with both an adsorption boundary condition and a radiation boundary condition, as well as a phenomenological model, are considered and solved in a quasistatic approximation. The latter two models allow particle detachment. In the short time limit, the droplet radius grows as a power of the time with exponents of 1/4, 1/2 and 3/4 for the models with adsorption, radiation and phenomenological boundary conditions, respectively. In the long time limit a universal growth rate as $[t/\\ln(t)]^{1/3}$ is observed for the radius of the droplet for all models independent of the boundary conditions. This asymptotic behaviour was obtained by Krapivsky \\cite{krapquasi} where a similarity variable approach was used to treat the growth of a droplet with an adsorption boundary condition based on a quasistatic approximation. Another boundary condition with a constant flux of monomers at the aggregate perimeter is also examined. The results exhibit a power law growth rate with an exponent of 1/3 for all times.

  3. Burning Questions in Gravity-Dependent Combustion Science

    Science.gov (United States)

    Urban, David; Chiaramonte, Francis P.

    2012-01-01

    Building upon a long history of spaceflight and ground based research, NASA's Combustion Science program has accumulated a significant body of accomplishments on the ISS. Historically, NASAs low-gravity combustion research program has sought: to provide a more complete understanding of the fundamental controlling processes in combustion by identifying simpler one-dimensional systems to eliminate the complex interactions between the buoyant flow and the energy feedback to the reaction zone to provide realistic simulation of the fire risk in manned spacecraft and to enable practical simulation of the gravitational environment experienced by reacting systems in future spacecraft. Over the past two decades, low-gravity combustion research has focused primarily on increasing our understanding of fundamental combustion processes (e.g. droplet combustion, soot, flame spread, smoldering, and gas-jet flames). This research program was highly successful and was aided by synergistic programs in Europe and in Japan. Overall improvements were made in our ability to model droplet combustion in spray combustors (e.g. jet engines), predict flame spread, predict soot production, and detect and prevent spacecraft fires. These results provided a unique dataset that supports both an active research discipline and also spacecraft fire safety for current and future spacecraft. These experiments have been conducted using the Combustion Integrated Rack (CIR), the Microgravity Science Glovebox and the Express Rack. In this paper, we provide an overview of the earlier space shuttle experiments, the recent ISS combustion experiments in addition to the studies planned for the future. Experiments in combustion include topics such as droplet combustion, gaseous diffusion flames, solid fuels, premixed flame studies, fire safety, and super critical oxidation processes.

  4. Electron diffraction of CBr{sub 4} in superfluid helium droplets: A step towards single molecule diffraction

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    He, Yunteng; Zhang, Jie; Kong, Wei, E-mail: wei.kong@oregonstate.edu [Department of Chemistry, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331-4003 (United States)

    2016-07-21

    We demonstrate the practicality of electron diffraction of single molecules inside superfluid helium droplets using CBr{sub 4} as a testing case. By reducing the background from pure undoped droplets via multiple doping, with small corrections for dimers and trimers, clearly resolved diffraction rings of CBr{sub 4} similar to those of gas phase molecules can be observed. The experimental data from CBr{sub 4} doped droplets are in agreement with both theoretical calculations and with experimental results of gaseous species. The abundance of monomers and clusters in the droplet beam also qualitatively agrees with the Poisson statistics. Possible extensions of this approach to macromolecular ions will also be discussed. This result marks the first step in building a molecular goniometer using superfluid helium droplet cooling and field induced orientation. The superior cooling effect of helium droplets is ideal for field induced orientation, but the diffraction background from helium is a concern. This work addresses this background issue and identifies a possible solution. Accumulation of diffraction images only becomes meaningful when all images are produced from molecules oriented in the same direction, and hence a molecular goniometer is a crucial technology for serial diffraction of single molecules.

  5. Single-enzyme analysis in a droplet-based micro- and nanofluidic system

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Arayanarakool, Rerngchai; Shui, Lingling; Kengen, Servé W.M.; van den Berg, Albert; Eijkel, Jan C.T.

    2013-01-01

    The kinetic activity of individual enzyme molecules was determined in aqueous droplets generated in a nano- and microfluidic device. To avoid high background noise, the enzyme and substrate solution was confined into femtoliter carriers, achieving high product concentrations from single-molecule

  6. Influence of Torrefaction on Single Particle Combustion of Wood

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lu, Zhimin; Jian, Jie; Jensen, Peter Arendt

    2016-01-01

    This study focuses on the influence of torrefaction on the char reactivity, char yield, and combustion time of 3-5 mm spherical wood particles in a single particle combustion reactor (SPC) operating at a nominal temperature of 1231 °C. The devolatilization times were reduced and the char burnout...

  7. Combustion Characteristics in a Non-Premixed Cool-Flame Regime of n-Heptane in Microgravity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takahashi, Fumiaki; Katta, Viswanath R.; Hicks, Michael C.

    2015-01-01

    A series of distinct phenomena have recently been observed in single-fuel-droplet combustion tests performed on the International Space Station (ISS). This study attempts to simulate the observed flame behavior numerically using a gaseous n-heptane fuel source in zero gravity and a time-dependent axisymmetric (2D) code, which includes a detailed reaction mechanism (127 species and 1130 reactions), diffusive transport, and a radiation model (for CH4, CO, CO2, H2O, and soot). The calculated combustion characteristics depend strongly on the air velocity around the fuel source. In a near-quiescent air environment (combustion experiments.

  8. Black liquor devolatilization and swelling - a detailed droplet model and experimental validation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jaervinen, M.; Zevenhoven, R.; Vakkilainen, E.; Forssen, M.

    2003-01-01

    In this paper, we present results from a new detailed physical model for single black liquor droplet pyrolysis and swelling, and validate them against experimental data from a non-oxidizing environment using two different reactor configurations. In the detailed model, we solve for the heat transfer and gas phase mass transfer in the droplet and thereby, the intra-particle gas-char and gas-gas interactions during drying and devolatilization can be studied. In the experimental part, the mass change, the swelling behaviour, and the volume fraction of larger voids, i.e. cenospheres in the droplets were determined in a non-oxidizing environment. The model gave a good correlation with experimental swelling and mass loss data. Calculations suggest that a considerable amount of the char can be consumed before the entire droplet has experienced the devolatilization and drying stages of combustion. Char formed at the droplet surface layer is generally consumed by gasification with H 2 O flowing outwards from the droplet interior. The extent of char conversion during devolatilization and the rate of devolatilization are greatly affected by swelling and the formation of larger voids in the particle. The more the particle swells and the more homogeneous the particle structure is, the larger is the conversion of char at the end of devolatilization

  9. Effect of surfactants on the deformation of single droplet in shear flow studied by dissipative particle dynamics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Yuzhou; Xu, Junbo; He, Xianfeng

    2018-07-01

    The behaviour of a single droplet in shear flow is a fundamental problem in immiscible liquid-liquid multiphase fluid systems. In this article, the deformation and inclination angle of single droplet covered with surfactants in shear flow at moderate Reynolds number, when both the inertial effects and interfacial tension are the key governing factors, were simulated by dissipative particle dynamics (DPD). Weber number We was adopted to indicate the force state of the droplet and a linear relationship between the deformation parameter D and We was found when Reynolds number Re is about 1-10, which is similar to the relation of D and Capillary number Ca when Re ≪ 1. When the surfactant concentration is lower than the critical micelle concentration (CMC), the distribution of surfactants, the droplet inclination angle θ and the droplet deformation parameter D were investigated at different surfactant density at interface ds and shear rate ?. When the droplet size is close to the characteristic size of surfactant molecules, phase interfaces of water in oil (W/O) and oil in water (O/W) systems have different microstructures, which result in differences in the surfactant distribution, the droplet inclination angle and deformation of the two systems.

  10. Microfluidic Fabrication of Porous Polymer Microspheres: Dual Reactions in Single Droplets

    KAUST Repository

    Gong, Xiuqing

    2009-06-16

    We report the microfluidic fabrication of macroporous polymer microspheres via the simultaneous reactions within single droplets, induced by LTV irradiation. The aqueous phase of the reaction is the decomposition of H 2O2 to yield oxygen, whereas the organic phase is the polymerization of NO A 61, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA), and tri (propylene glycol) diacrylate (TPGDA) precursors. We first used a liquid polymer precursor to encapsulate a multiple number of magnetic Fe3O 4 colloidal suspension (MCS) droplets in a core-shell structure, for the purpose of studying the number of such encapsulated droplets that can be reliably controlled through the variation of flow rates. It was found that the formation of one shell with one, two, three, or more encapsulated droplets is possible. Subsequently, the H2O2 solution was encapsulated in the same way, after which we investigated its decomposition under UV irradiation, which simultaneously induces the polymerization of the encapsulating shell. Because the H2O2 decomposition leads to the release of oxygen, porous microspheres were obtained from a combined H2O2 decomposition/polymer precursor polymerization reaction. The multiplicity of the initially encapsulated H2O 2 droplets ensures the homogeneous distribution of the pores. The pores inside the micrometer-sized spheres range from several micrometers to tens of micrometers, and the maximum internal void volume fraction can attain 70%, similar to that of high polymerized high internal phase emulsion (polyHIPE). © 2009 American Chemical Society.

  11. Fundamental Study of Single Biomass Particle Combustion

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Momenikouchaksaraei, Maryam

    This thesis is a comprehensive study of single biomass particle combustion. The effect of particle shape and size and operating conditions on biomass conversion characteristics were investigated experimentally and theoretically. The experimental samples were divided in two groups: particles...... well-defined conditions, and the complete combustion processes were recorded as video sequences by a CCD camera installed in the set-up. One of the project objectives is to simulate conditions reasonably close to the conditions in a power plant boiler, i.e., reasonably high temperatures (up to 1600°C...

  12. A Facile Droplet-Chip-Time-Resolved Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry Online System for Determination of Zinc in Single Cell.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Han; Chen, Beibei; He, Man; Hu, Bin

    2017-05-02

    Single cell analysis is a significant research field in recent years reflecting the heterogeneity of cells in a biological system. In this work, a facile droplet chip was fabricated and online combined with time-resolved inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS) via a microflow nebulizer for the determination of zinc in single HepG2 cells. On the focusing geometric designed PDMS microfluidic chip, the aqueous cell suspension was ejected and divided by hexanol to generate droplets. The droplets encapsulated single cells remain intact during the transportation into ICP for subsequent detection. Under the optimized conditions, the frequency of droplet generation is 3-6 × 10 6 min -1 , and the injected cell number is 2500 min -1 , which can ensure the single cell encapsulation. ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) were used for the quantification of zinc in single cells, and the accuracy was validated by conventional acid digestion-ICPMS method. The ZnO NPs incubated HepG2 cells were analyzed as model samples, and the results exhibit the heterogeneity of HepG2 cells in the uptake/adsorption of ZnO NPs. The developed online droplet-chip-ICPMS analysis system achieves stable single cell encapsulation and has high throughput for single cell analysis. It has the potential in monitoring the content as well as distribution of trace elements/NPs at the single cell level.

  13. FY1996 annual report on the advanced combustion science in microgravity field

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1997-03-01

    Research was implemented continuously from the previous year on combustion equipment enabling advanced combustion technologies, by studying combustion in a microgravity field, for the purpose of preventing environmental pollution caused by diversification of energy sources and exhaust gasses. In joint studies with NASA, the themes of the previous year were continued, for which tests were conducted 37 times using Japanese drop test equipment and 131 times using NASA's. The evaluation and analysis of the experiments and test data by the microgravity test equipment were, in addition to the themes of the previous year, such that micro observation for ignition/combustion mechanism of fuel spray droplets was made, as well as studies on fuel droplets combustion by a laser diagnostic device, concerning combustion of fuel droplets and vaporization process, that flame spread on solid substances was researched in relation to combustion characteristics of high density fuels, and that mixed gas combustion on a solid surface was studied in connection with the research on flammability limits. Furthermore, a study on combustion technology for gas turbines was added for the purpose of studying an advanced combustor. (NEDO)

  14. Direct numerical simulations of evaporating droplets in turbulence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palmore, John; Desjardins, Olivier

    2015-11-01

    This work demonstrates direct numerical simulations of evaporating two phase flows, with applications to studying combustion in aircraft engines. Inside the engine, liquid fuel is injected into the combustion chamber where it atomizes into droplets and evaporates. Combustion occurs as the fuel vapor mixes with the surrounding flow of turbulent gas. Understanding combustion, therefore, requires studying evaporation in a turbulent flow and the resulting vapor distribution. We study the problem using a finite volume framework to solve the Navier-Stokes and scalar transport equations under a low-Mach assumption [Desjardins et al., J. Comp. Phys., 2008]. The liquid-gas interface is tracked using a conservative level-set method [Desjardins et al., J. Comp. Phys., 2008] which allows for a sharp reconstruction of the discontinuity across the interface. Special care is taken in the discretization of cells near the liquid-gas interface to ensure the stability and accuracy of the solution. Results are discussed for non-reacting simulations of liquid droplets evaporating into a turbulent field of inert gas.

  15. 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.

  16. Reduced Gravity Studies of Soret Transport Effects in Liquid Fuel Combustion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shaw, Benjamin D.

    2004-01-01

    Soret transport, which is mass transport driven by thermal gradients, can be important in practical flames as well as laboratory flames by influencing transport of low molecular weight species (e.g., monatomic and diatomic hydrogen). In addition, gas-phase Soret transport of high molecular weight fuel species that are present in practical liquid fuels (e.g., octane or methanol) can be significant in practical flames (Rosner et al., 2000; Dakhlia et al., 2002) and in high pressure droplet evaporation (Curtis and Farrell, 1992), and it has also been shown that Soret transport effects can be important in determining oxygen diffusion rates in certain classes of microgravity droplet combustion experiments (Aharon and Shaw, 1998). It is thus useful to obtain information on flames under conditions where Soret effects can be clearly observed. This research is concerned with investigating effects of Soret transport on combustion of liquid fuels, in particular liquid fuel droplets. Reduced-gravity is employed to provide an ideal (spherically-symmetrical) experimental model with which to investigate effects of Soret transport on combustion. The research will involve performing reduced-gravity experiments on combustion of liquid fuel droplets in environments where Soret effects significantly influence transport of fuel and oxygen to flame zones. Experiments will also be performed where Soret effects are not expected to be important. Droplets initially in the 0.5 to 1 mm size range will be burned. Data will be obtained on influences of Soret transport on combustion characteristics (e.g., droplet burning rates, droplet lifetimes, gas-phase extinction, and transient flame behaviors) under simplified geometrical conditions that are most amenable to theoretical modeling (i.e., spherical symmetry). The experiments will be compared with existing theoretical models as well as new models that will be developed. Normal gravity experiments will also be performed.

  17. Probing the Evaporation Dynamics of Ethanol/Gasoline Biofuel Blends Using Single Droplet Manipulation Techniques.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Corsetti, Stella; Miles, Rachael E H; McDonald, Craig; Belotti, Yuri; Reid, Jonathan P; Kiefer, Johannes; McGloin, David

    2015-12-24

    Using blends of bioethanol and gasoline as automotive fuel leads to a net decrease in the production of harmful emission compared to the use of pure fossil fuel. However, fuel droplet evaporation dynamics change depending on the mixing ratio. Here we use single particle manipulation techniques to study the evaporation dynamics of ethanol/gasoline blend microdroplets. The use of an electrodynamic balance enables measurements of the evaporation of individual droplets in a controlled environment, while optical tweezers facilitate studies of the behavior of droplets inside a spray. Hence, the combination of both methods is perfectly suited to obtain a complete picture of the evaporation process. The influence of adding varied amounts of ethanol to gasoline is investigated, and we observe that droplets with a greater fraction of ethanol take longer to evaporate. Furthermore, we find that our methods are sensitive enough to observe the presence of trace amounts of water in the droplets. A theoretical model, predicting the evaporation of ethanol and gasoline droplets in dry nitrogen gas, is used to explain the experimental results. Also a theoretical estimation of the saturation of the environment, with other aerosols, in the tweezers is carried out.

  18. Charge Effects on the Efflorescence in Single Levitated Droplets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hermann, Gunter; Zhang, Yan; Wassermann, Bernhard; Fischer, Henry; Quennet, Marcel; Rühl, Eckart

    2017-09-14

    The influence of electrical excess charges on the crystallization from supersaturated aqueous sodium chloride solutions is reported. This is accomplished by efflorescence studies on single levitated microdroplets using optical and electrodynamic levitation. Specifically, a strong increase in efflorescence humidity is observed as a function of the droplet's negative excess charge, ranging up to -2.1 pC, with a distinct threshold behavior, increasing the relative efflorescence humidity, at which spontaneous nucleation occurs, from 44% for the neutral microparticle to 60%. These findings are interpreted by using molecular dynamics simulations for determining plausible structural patterns located near the particle surface that could serve as suitable precursors for the formation of critical clusters overcoming the nucleation barrier. These results, facilitating heterogeneous nucleation in the case of negatively charged microparticles, are compared to recent work on charge-induced nucleation of neat supercooled water, where a distinctly different nucleation behavior as a function of droplet charge has been observed.

  19. Combustion and smoke formation following exposure of actinide metals to explosions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Luna, R.E.; Church, H.W.; Elrick, R.M.; Parker, D.R.; Nelson, L.S.

    1976-01-01

    Results from the plutonium aerosol generation experiment (PAGE) program studies indicate that: (1) Significant quantities of metal-bearing aerosols are likely to be formed in an accidental high explosive detonation of a nuclear weapon. Although the explosive charge-to-metal ratio has been reduced in modern weapons, considerable inhalation hazard is still expected due to increased shrapnel formation and streamer combustion. (2) Close-in shrapnel particle sizes and velocities can be estimated by impact sampling techniques. (3) Uranium droplets are a very accurate simulant of plutonium droplets from the standpoint of combustion-related phenomena but do not seem to simulate either the total quantity of aerosol formed from plutonium droplets or its time-dependent generation pattern very well. This is due primarily to the large effect of the explosion of the burning uranium droplets on total aerosol formation which is not observed in the case of plutonium, even though more aerosol is produced per unit time during the actual combustion itself. (4) The formation of chain-like plutonium aerosols from the droplets produced during streamer combustion is expected to produce an unusually active material from the standpoint of inhalation into the lung and ultimate translocation in the body. 16 figures

  20. 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

  1. Intensive evaporation and boiling of a heterogeneous liquid droplet with an explosive disintegration in high-temperature gas area

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Piskunov Maxim V.

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The using of the high-speed (not less than 105 frames per second video recording tools (“Phantom” and the software package ("TEMA Automotive" allowed carrying out an experimental research of laws of intensive vaporization with an explosive disintegration of heterogeneous (with a single solid nontransparent inclusion liquid droplet (by the example of water in high-temperature (500-800 K gases (combustion products. Times of the processes under consideration and stages (liquid heat-up, evaporation from an external surface, bubble boiling at internal interfaces, growth of bubble sizes, explosive droplet breakup were established. Necessary conditions of an explosive vaporization of a heterogeneous droplet were found out. Mechanisms of this process and an influence of properties of liquid and inclusion material on them were determined.

  2. Droplets and sprays

    CERN Document Server

    Sazhin, Sergei

    2014-01-01

    Providing a clear and systematic description of droplets and spray dynamic models, this book maximises reader insight into the underlying physics of the processes involved, outlines the development of new physical and mathematical models, and broadens understanding of interactions between the complex physical processes which take place in sprays. Complementing approaches based on the direct application of computational fluid dynamics (CFD), Droplets and Sprays treats both theoretical and practical aspects of internal combustion engine process such as the direct injection of liquid fuel, subcritical heating and evaporation. Includes case studies that illustrate the approaches relevance to automotive applications,  it is also anticipated that the described models can find use in other areas such as in medicine and environmental science.

  3. Twenty-fifth symposium (international) on combustion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1994-01-01

    Approximately two-thirds of the papers presented at this conference are contained in this volume. The other one-third appear in special issues of ''Combustion and Flame'', Vol. 99, 1994 and Vol. 100, 1995. Papers are divided into the following sections: Supersonic combustion; Detonations and explosions; Internal combustion engines; Practical aspects of combustion; Incineration and wastes; Sprays and droplet combustion; Coal and organic solids combustion; Soot and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; Reaction kinetics; NO x ; Turbulent flames; Turbulent combustion; Laminar flames; Flame spread, fire and halogenated fire suppressants; Global environmental effects; Ignition; Two-phase combustion; Solid propellant combustion; Materials synthesis; Microgravity; and Experimental diagnostics. Papers have been processed separately for inclusion on the data base

  4. 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

  5. A new stationary droplet evaporation model and its validation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fang WANG

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available The liquid droplet evaporation character is important for not only combustion chamber design process but also high-accuracy spray combustion simulation. In this paper, the suspended droplets’ evaporation character was measured in a quiescent high-temperature environment by micro high-speed camera system. The gasoline and kerosene experimental results are consistent with the reference data. Methanol, common kerosene and aviation kerosene droplet evaporation characteristics, as well as their evaporation rate changing with temperature, were obtained. The evaporation rate experimental data were compared with the prediction result of Ranz-Marshall boiling temperature model (RMB, Ranz-Marshall low-temperature model (RML, drift flux model (DFM, mass analogy model (MAM, and stagnant film model (SFM. The disparity between the experimental data and the model prediction results was mainly caused by the neglect of the natural convection effect, which was never introduced into the droplet evaporation concept. A new droplet evaporation model with consideration of natural convection buoyancy force effect was proposed in this paper. Under the experimental conditions in this paper, the calculation results of the new droplet evaporation model were agreed with the experimental data for kerosene, methanol and other fuels, with less than 20% relative deviations. The relative deviations between the new evaporation model predictions for kerosene and the experimental data from the references were within 10%.

  6. DIMM-SC: a Dirichlet mixture model for clustering droplet-based single cell transcriptomic data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Zhe; Wang, Ting; Deng, Ke; Wang, Xiao-Feng; Lafyatis, Robert; Ding, Ying; Hu, Ming; Chen, Wei

    2018-01-01

    Single cell transcriptome sequencing (scRNA-Seq) has become a revolutionary tool to study cellular and molecular processes at single cell resolution. Among existing technologies, the recently developed droplet-based platform enables efficient parallel processing of thousands of single cells with direct counting of transcript copies using Unique Molecular Identifier (UMI). Despite the technology advances, statistical methods and computational tools are still lacking for analyzing droplet-based scRNA-Seq data. Particularly, model-based approaches for clustering large-scale single cell transcriptomic data are still under-explored. We developed DIMM-SC, a Dirichlet Mixture Model for clustering droplet-based Single Cell transcriptomic data. This approach explicitly models UMI count data from scRNA-Seq experiments and characterizes variations across different cell clusters via a Dirichlet mixture prior. We performed comprehensive simulations to evaluate DIMM-SC and compared it with existing clustering methods such as K-means, CellTree and Seurat. In addition, we analyzed public scRNA-Seq datasets with known cluster labels and in-house scRNA-Seq datasets from a study of systemic sclerosis with prior biological knowledge to benchmark and validate DIMM-SC. Both simulation studies and real data applications demonstrated that overall, DIMM-SC achieves substantially improved clustering accuracy and much lower clustering variability compared to other existing clustering methods. More importantly, as a model-based approach, DIMM-SC is able to quantify the clustering uncertainty for each single cell, facilitating rigorous statistical inference and biological interpretations, which are typically unavailable from existing clustering methods. DIMM-SC has been implemented in a user-friendly R package with a detailed tutorial available on www.pitt.edu/∼wec47/singlecell.html. wei.chen@chp.edu or hum@ccf.org. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author

  7. Comments on the note by L.S. Nelson: ''unusually high (oxidizer/Pu) ratios in the macro-residues from plutonium droplet combustion''

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Allen, M.D.; Morgan, L.G.

    1982-01-01

    An alternative explanation for unusually high ratios of oxidizers/plutonium in the residues from plutonium droplet combustion is offered in response to a note by L.S. Nelson. Two additional experiments are suggested that would be helpful in clarifying the high oxidizer/Pu ratios. The first would be to measure the true surface area for a spherule after its explosion. The second is an experiment analogous to a gas analysis experiment. The conclusion is put forth that adsorbed gases are the most likely cause of the high O/M ratios described by Nelson

  8. Laser-induced fluorescence imaging of acetone inside evaporating and burning fuel droplets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shringi, D. S.; Shaw, B. D.; Dwyer, H. A.

    2009-01-01

    Laser-induced fluorescence was used to visualize acetone fields inside individual droplets of pure acetone as well as droplets composed of methanol or 1-propanol initially mixed with acetone. Droplets were supported on a horizontal wire and two vaporization conditions were investigated: (1) slow evaporation in room air and (2) droplet combustion, which leads to substantially faster droplet surface regression rates. Acetone was preferentially gasified, causing its concentration in droplets to drop in time with resultant decreases in acetone fluorescence intensities. Slowly vaporizing droplets did not exhibit large spatial variations of fluorescence within droplets, indicating that these droplets were relatively well mixed. Ignition of droplets led to significant variations in fluorescence intensities within droplets, indicating that these droplets were not well mixed. Ignited droplets composed of mixtures of 1-propanol and acetone showed large time-varying changes in shapes for higher acetone concentrations, suggesting that bubble formation was occurring in these droplets.

  9. Modelling of fuel spray and combustion in diesel engines

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Huttunen, M T; Kaario, O T [VTT Energy, Espoo (Finland)

    1998-12-31

    Fuel spray and air motion characteristics and combustion in direct injection (DI) diesel engines was studied using computational models of the commercial CFD-code FIRE. Physical subprocesses modelled included Lagrangian spray droplet movement and behaviour (atomisation, evaporation and interaction of spray droplets) and combustion of evaporated liquid spray in the gas phase. Fuel vapour combustion rate was described by the model of Magnussen and Hjertager. The standard k,{epsilon}-model was used for turbulence. In order to be able to predict combustion accurately, the fuel spray penetration should be predicted with reasonable accuracy. In this study, the standard drag coefficient had to be reduced in order to match the computed penetration to the measured one. In addition, the constants in the submodel describing droplet breakup also needed to be adjusted for closer agreement with the measurements. The characteristic time scale of fuel consumption rate k/C{sub R} {epsilon} strongly influenced the heat release and in-cylinder pressure. With a value around 2.0 to 5.0 for C{sub R}, the computed in-cylinder pressure during the compression stroke agreed quite well with the measurements. On the other hand, the in-cylinder pressure was underpredicted during the expansion stroke. This is partly due to the fact that hydrocarbon fuel combustion was modelled as a one-step reaction reading to CO{sub 2} and H{sub 2}O and inadequate description of the mixing of reactants and combustion products. (author) 16 refs.

  10. Modelling of fuel spray and combustion in diesel engines

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Huttunen, M.T.; Kaario, O.T. [VTT Energy, Espoo (Finland)

    1997-12-31

    Fuel spray and air motion characteristics and combustion in direct injection (DI) diesel engines was studied using computational models of the commercial CFD-code FIRE. Physical subprocesses modelled included Lagrangian spray droplet movement and behaviour (atomisation, evaporation and interaction of spray droplets) and combustion of evaporated liquid spray in the gas phase. Fuel vapour combustion rate was described by the model of Magnussen and Hjertager. The standard k,{epsilon}-model was used for turbulence. In order to be able to predict combustion accurately, the fuel spray penetration should be predicted with reasonable accuracy. In this study, the standard drag coefficient had to be reduced in order to match the computed penetration to the measured one. In addition, the constants in the submodel describing droplet breakup also needed to be adjusted for closer agreement with the measurements. The characteristic time scale of fuel consumption rate k/C{sub R} {epsilon} strongly influenced the heat release and in-cylinder pressure. With a value around 2.0 to 5.0 for C{sub R}, the computed in-cylinder pressure during the compression stroke agreed quite well with the measurements. On the other hand, the in-cylinder pressure was underpredicted during the expansion stroke. This is partly due to the fact that hydrocarbon fuel combustion was modelled as a one-step reaction reading to CO{sub 2} and H{sub 2}O and inadequate description of the mixing of reactants and combustion products. (author) 16 refs.

  11. Photophoretic trampoline—Interaction of single airborne absorbing droplets with light

    Science.gov (United States)

    Esseling, Michael; Rose, Patrick; Alpmann, Christina; Denz, Cornelia

    2012-09-01

    We present the light-induced manipulation of absorbing liquid droplets in air. Ink droplets from a printer cartridge are used to demonstrate that absorbing liquids—just like their solid counterparts—can interact with regions of high light intensity due to the photophoretic force. It is shown that droplets follow a quasi-ballistic trajectory after bouncing off a high intensity light sheet. We estimate the intensities necessary for this rebound of airborne droplets and change the droplet trajectories through a variation of the manipulating light field.

  12. 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.

  13. 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.

  14. Study of the effects of elevated pressure and temperature on the evaporation of a single fuel droplet

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Memon, A.A.; Memon, M.A.; Durrani, H.A.

    1991-01-01

    The experimental studies were made on the evaporation of single fuel droplet in high pressure and high temperature gaseous environments. The time history of the size and the temperature of an evaporating droplet suspended on a fine quartz thread was recorded using a movie camera and an oscilloscope. The fuel used was n-heptane. The experimental range of conditions consists of gas pressure from 0 atg to 50 atg, gas temperature from 100 c to 500 c which correspond to the subcritical, critical and supercritical state of a droplet. The evaporation rate, the life time and the wet-bulb temperature of a droplet were obtained. The results showed that the temperature of an evaporating droplet increased with an increase in gas pressure and temperature, through it did not reach the critical temperature of fuel even at supercritical environments. It was evident that with an increase in gas pressure, the evaporation rate increased at high gas temperature while it decreased at low gas temperature. (author)

  15. 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.)

  16. International cooperative research project between NEDO and NASA on advanced combustion science utilizing microgravity

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2001-03-01

    This paper describes an international cooperative research project between NEDO and NASA on advanced combustion science utilizing microgravity. In June, 1994, NEDO and NASA reached a basic agreement with each other about this cooperative R and D on combustion under microgravity conditions. In fiscal 2000, Japan proposed an experiment using the drop tower facilities and parabolic aircraft at NASA Glen Research Center and at JAMIC (Japan Microgravity Center). In other words, the proposals from Japan included experiments on combustion of droplets composed of diversified fuels under different burning conditions (vaporization), flame propagation in smoldering porous materials and dispersed particles under microgravity conditions, and control of interactive combustion of two droplets by acoustical and electrical perturbations. Additionally proposed were experiments on effect of low external air flow on solid material combustion under microgravity, and sooting and radiation effects on the burning of large droplets under microgravity conditions. This report gives an outline of the results of these five cooperative R and D projects. The experiments were conducted under ordinary normal gravity and microgravity conditions, with the results compared and examined mutually. (NEDO)

  17. Fragmentation of a single molten copper and silver droplets penetrating a sodium pool with solid crust

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wataru Itagaki; Ken-ichiro Sugiyama; Satoshi Nishimura; Izumi Kinoshita

    2005-01-01

    As a basic study of molten fuel-coolant interaction in liquid metal fast cooled reactors, we carried out a series of experiments for the fragmentation of molten copper droplet penetrating sodium pool at instantaneous contact interface temperatures below its freezing point. A single molten copper droplet with 5g in weight and with superheating varied from 0 degree C to 131 degree C was dropped into a sodium pool in a wide range of ambient Weber numbers 24 to 228. In addition to the experiment of molten copper droplet, molten silver droplet with 5gs in weight and with superheating varied from 3 degree C to 174 degree C was dropped into the sodium pool at an ambient Weber number of about 80. From the observation of the cross section of solidified silver droplet without fragmentation, it was clearly confirmed that sodium micro jet is driven into the inside from the upper surface of molten droplet keeping liquid phase, which is clear evidence for the thermal fragmentation mechanism proposed in the previous paper. Large scattering in the values of dimensionless mass median diameter observed in the present experimental study is recognized to be dependent on whether latent heat instantaneously released due to the injection of sodium micro jet can be effectively utilized for fragmentation. (authors)

  18. [Dynamics of Irreversible Evaporation of a Water-Protein Droplet and a Problem of Structural and Dynamical Experiments with Single Molecules].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shaitan, K V; Armeev, G A; Shaytan, A K

    2016-01-01

    We discuss the effect of isothermal and adiabatic evaporation of water on the state of a water-protein droplet. The discussed problem is of current importance due to development of techniques to perform single molecule experiments using free electron lasers. In such structure-dynamic experiments the delivery of a sample into the X-ray beam is performed using the microdroplet injector. The time between the injection and delivery is in the order of microseconds. In this paper we developed a specialized variant of all-atom molecular dynamics simulations for the study of irreversible isothermal evaporation of the droplet. Using in silico experiments we determined the parameters of isothermal evaporation of the water-protein droplet with the sodium and chloride ions in the concentration range of 0.3 M at different temperatures. The energy of irreversible evaporation determined from in silico experiments at the initial stages of evaporation virtually coincides with the specific heat of evaporation for water. For the kinetics of irreversible adiabatic evaporation an exact analytical solution was obtained in the limit of high thermal conductivity of the droplet (or up to the droplet size of -100 Å). This analytical solution incorporates parameters that are determined using in silico. experiments on isothermal droplet evaporation. We show that the kinetics of adiabatic evaporation and cooling of the droplet scales with the droplet size. Our estimates of the water-protemi droplet. freezing rate in the adiabatic regime in a vacuum chamber show that additional techniques for stabilizing the temperature inside the droplet should be used in order to study the conformational transitions of the protein in single molecules. Isothermal and quasi-isothermal conditions are most suitable for studying the conformational transitions upon object functioning. However, in this case it is necessary to take into account the effects of dehydration and rapid increase of ionic strength in an

  19. Formulation and analyses of vaporization and diffusion-controlled combustion of fuel sprays

    OpenAIRE

    Arrieta Sanagustín, Jorge

    2012-01-01

    This dissertation focuses on the modelling of vaporization and combustion of sprays. A general two-continua formulation is given for the numerical computation of spray flows, including the treatment of the droplets as homogenized sources. Group combustion is considered, with the reaction between the fuel coming from the vaporizing droplets and the oxygen of the air modeled in the Burke-Schumann limit of infinitely fast chemical reaction, with nonunity Lewis numbers allowed for the different r...

  20. 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.

  1. [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.

  2. The atomization and the flame structure in the combustion of residual fuel oils; La atomizacion y estructura de flama en la combustion de combustibles residuales

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bolado Estandia, Ramon [Instituto de Investigaciones Electricas, Cuernavaca (Mexico)

    1986-12-31

    In this article a research on the combustion of heavy residual fuel oils is presented. The type of flames studied were obtained by means of the burning of sprays produced by an atomizer designed and calibrated specially for the research purpose. The flame characteristics that were analyzed are its length, its luminosity, the temperature, the distribution of the droplets size and mainly the burning regime of the droplets in the flame. The experimental techniques that were used for these studies were shadow micro-photography, suction pyrometry and of total radiation, laser diffraction, 35 mm photography, and impact push. The analysis of the experimental results, together with the results of the application of a mathematical model, permitted to establish two parameters, that quantitatively related determine the burning regime of the droplets in a flame of sprays of residual heavy fuel oil. [Espanol] En este articulo se presenta una investigacion sobre la combustion de combustibles residuales pesados. El tipo de flamas estudiadas se obtuvieron mediante el quemado de sprays producidos por un atomizador disenado y calibrado especialmente para el proposito de la investigacion. Las caracteristicas de flama que se analizaron son la longitud, la luminosidad, la temperatura, la distribucion de tamano de gotas y, principalmente, el regimen de quemado de gotas en la flama. Las tecnicas experimentales que se usaron para estos estudios fueron microfotografia de sombras, pirometria de succion y de radiacion total, difraccion laser, fotografia de 35 mm y empuje de impacto. El analisis de resultados experimentales, junto con los resultados de la aplicacion de un modelo matematico, permitio establecer dos parametros, que relacionados cuantitativamente, determinan el regimen de quemado de gotas en una flama de sprays de combustible residual pesado.

  3. The atomization and the flame structure in the combustion of residual fuel oils; La atomizacion y estructura de flama en la combustion de combustibles residuales

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bolado Estandia, Ramon [Instituto de Investigaciones Electricas, Cuernavaca (Mexico)

    1985-12-31

    In this article a research on the combustion of heavy residual fuel oils is presented. The type of flames studied were obtained by means of the burning of sprays produced by an atomizer designed and calibrated specially for the research purpose. The flame characteristics that were analyzed are its length, its luminosity, the temperature, the distribution of the droplets size and mainly the burning regime of the droplets in the flame. The experimental techniques that were used for these studies were shadow micro-photography, suction pyrometry and of total radiation, laser diffraction, 35 mm photography, and impact push. The analysis of the experimental results, together with the results of the application of a mathematical model, permitted to establish two parameters, that quantitatively related determine the burning regime of the droplets in a flame of sprays of residual heavy fuel oil. [Espanol] En este articulo se presenta una investigacion sobre la combustion de combustibles residuales pesados. El tipo de flamas estudiadas se obtuvieron mediante el quemado de sprays producidos por un atomizador disenado y calibrado especialmente para el proposito de la investigacion. Las caracteristicas de flama que se analizaron son la longitud, la luminosidad, la temperatura, la distribucion de tamano de gotas y, principalmente, el regimen de quemado de gotas en la flama. Las tecnicas experimentales que se usaron para estos estudios fueron microfotografia de sombras, pirometria de succion y de radiacion total, difraccion laser, fotografia de 35 mm y empuje de impacto. El analisis de resultados experimentales, junto con los resultados de la aplicacion de un modelo matematico, permitio establecer dos parametros, que relacionados cuantitativamente, determinan el regimen de quemado de gotas en una flama de sprays de combustible residual pesado.

  4. A Burke-Schumann Analysis of Dual-Flame Structure Supported by a Burning Droplet

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nayagam, V.; Dietrich, D.; Williams, F. A.

    2016-01-01

    Droplet combustion experiments carried out onboard the International Space Station (ISS), using pure fuels and fuel mixtures, have shown that quasi-steady burning can be sustained by a non-traditional flame configuration, namely a "cool flame" burning in the "partial-burning" regime where both fuel and oxygen leak through the low-temperature controlled flame-sheet. Recent experiments involving large, bi-component fuel (n-decane and hexanol, 50/50 by volume) droplets at elevated pressures show that the visible, hot flame becomes extremely weak while the burning rate remains relatively high, suggesting the possibility of simultaneous presence of "cool" and "hot" flames of roughly equal importance. The radiant output from these bi-component droplets is relatively high and cannot be accounted for only by the presence of a visible hot-flame. In this analysis we explore the theoretical possibility of a dual-flame structure, where one flame lies close to the droplet surface called the "cool-flame," and other farther away from the droplet surface, termed the "hot-flame." A Burke-Schumann analysis of this dual-structure seems to indicate such flame structures are possible over a narrow range of initial conditions. Theoretical results can be compared against available experimental data for pure and bi-component fuel droplet combustion to test how realistic the model may be.

  5. FY1994 annual report on the advanced combustion science in microgravity field

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1995-03-01

    Researches were implemented continuously from the previous year on combustion equipment which enables advanced combustion technologies by studying combustion in a microgravity field, for the purpose of preventing environmental pollution caused by diversification of energy sources and exhaust gasses. In joint studies with NASA, research was conducted at both ends concerning the interaction of fuel droplets in a microgravity field; namely, high pressure combustion of binary fuel sprays at NASA against interaction in high pressure spray combustion of binary fuel at Japan side, and ignition and flame spread in microgravity field at NASA against combustion characteristics of organic solid fuels at Japan side. In fiscal 1994, in addition to the test equipment built in the previous year, a fuel droplet combustion test device was manufactured, as were a gas sampling and analyzing device, particle speed measuring device, and laser induced fluorescence measuring device. The tests using these measuring devices and microgravity test equipment were carried out 112 times, thereby establishing the measuring method of flame structure which was an objective of the present year. (NEDO)

  6. 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.

  7. 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).

  8. Modeling of fuel vapor jet eruption induced by local droplet heating

    KAUST Repository

    Sim, Jaeheon

    2014-01-10

    The evaporation of a droplet by non-uniform heating is numerically investigated in order to understand the mechanism of the fuel-vapor jet eruption observed in the flame spread of a droplet array under microgravity condition. The phenomenon was believed to be mainly responsible for the enhanced flame spread rate through a droplet cloud at microgravity conditions. A modified Eulerian-Lagrangian method with a local phase change model is utilized to describe the interfacial dynamics between liquid droplet and surrounding air. It is found that the localized heating creates a temperature gradient along the droplet surface, induces the corresponding surface tension gradient, and thus develops an inner flow circulation commonly referred to as the Marangoni convection. Furthermore, the effect also produces a strong shear flow around the droplet surface, thereby pushing the fuel vapor toward the wake region of the droplet to form a vapor jet eruption. A parametric study clearly demonstrated that at realistic droplet combustion conditions the Marangoni effect is indeed responsible for the observed phenomena, in contrast to the results based on constant surface tension approximation

  9. 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

  10. Direct numerical simulation of two-phases turbulent combustion: application to study of propagation and structure of flames; Simulation numerique directe de la combustion turbulente diphasique: application a l'etude de la propagation et de la structure des flammes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Canneviere, K.

    2003-12-15

    This work is devoted to the study of the propagation and the structure of two-phases turbulent flames. To this end, Direct Numerical Simulations (DNS) are used. First, numerical systems for two-phases flow simulations is presented along with a specific chemical model. Then, a study of laminar spray flames is carried out. An analytical study related to the dynamics of evaporation of droplets is first proposed where the influence on the equivalence ratio of the ratio between the heating delay of the droplet and the evaporation delay is detailed. The simulation of a propagating flame through a cloud of droplets is carried out and a pulsating behavior is highlighted. A study of these flames according to the topology of liquid fuel enabled us to characterize a double flame structure composed of a premixed flame and a diffusion flame. Our last study is devoted to spray turbulent flames. Two-phase combustion of turbulent jets has been simulated. By varying the spray injection parameters (density, equivalence ratio), a database has been generated. This database allowed us to describe local and global flame regimes appearing in the combustion of sprays. They have been categorized in four main structures: open and closed external regime, group combustion and mixed combustion. Eventually, a combustion diagram has been developed. It involves the spray vaporization time, the mean inter-space between droplets or group of droplets and eventually the injected equivalence ratio. (author)

  11. FY1995 annual report on the advanced combustion science in microgravity field

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1996-03-01

    Research was implemented continuously from the previous year on combustion equipment enabling advanced combustion technologies, by studying combustion in a microgravity field, for the purpose of preventing environmental pollution caused by diversification of energy sources and exhaust gasses. In joint studies with NASA, the 1995 themes were continued, for which tests were conducted 34 times using Japanese drop test equipment. Further, studies were added for flammability limits and flame dynamics of spherical flames in homogeneous and heterogeneous mixed fuels. The evaluation and analysis of the experiments and test data by the microgravity test equipment were such that laser ignitions of floating or fuel-oozing droplets, spherical/cylindrical combustion of liquid fuels, for example, were studied in regards to the combustion and vaporization process of fuel droplets, that high calorie fuel combustion in microgravitation field for example was investigated in relation to the combustion characteristics of high density fuels, that flame stability of lean premixed gasses for example was researched concerning flammability limit, and that NOx generation mechanism in liquid fuel combustion was looked into in connection with emission mechanisms of pollutant gaseous materials. (NEDO)

  12. High pressure combustion of liquid fuels. [alcohol and n-paraffin fuels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Canada, G. S.

    1974-01-01

    Measurements were made of the burning rates and liquid surface temperatures for a number of alcohol and n-paraffin fuels under natural and forced convection conditions. Porous spheres ranging in size from 0.64-1.9 cm O.D. were emloyed to simulate the fuel droplets. The natural convection cold gas tests considered the combustion in air of methanol, ethanol, propanol-1, n-pentane, n-heptane, and n-decane droplets at pressures up to 78 atmospheres. The pressure levels of the natural convection tests were high enough so that near critical combustion was observed for methanol and ethanol vaporization rates and liquid surface temperature measurements were made of droplets burning in a simulated combustion chamber environment. Ambient oxygen molar concentrations included 13%, 9.5% and pure evaporation. Fuels used in the forced convection atmospheric tests included those listed above for the natural convection tests. The ambient gas temperature ranged from 600 to 1500 K and the Reynolds number varied from 30 to 300. The high pressure forced convection tests employed ethanol and n-heptane as fuels over a pressure range of one to 40 atmospheres. The ambient gas temperature was 1145 K for the two combustion cases and 1255 K for the evaporation case.

  13. Transient heating and evaporation of moving fuel droplets

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Yin, Chungen

    2014-01-01

    In combustion devices involving direct injection of low-volatility liquid fuel (e.g., bio-oils from pyrolysis process) into the combustor, transient heating and vaporization is an important controlling factor in ignition and combustion of the fuel vapor/air mixture. As a result, quite many...... experimental and numerical efforts have been made on this topic. In this paper, a comprehensive 3D model that addresses the internal circulation, heat and mass transfer within a moving droplet has been successfully developed. The model is calibrated by analytical solutions for simplified cases and validated...

  14. A study of the effect of binary oxide materials in a single droplet vapor explosion

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hansson, R.C., E-mail: rch@kth.se [Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm (Sweden); Dinh, T.N.; Manickam, L.T. [Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm (Sweden)

    2013-11-15

    In an effort to explore fundamental mechanisms that may govern the effect of melt material on vapor explosion's triggering, fine fragmentation and energetics, a series of experiments using a binary-oxide mixture with eutectic and non-eutectic compositions were performed. Interactions of a hot liquid (WO{sub 3}–CaO) droplet and a volatile liquid (water) were investigated in well-controlled, externally triggered, single-droplet experiments conducted in the Micro-interactions in steam explosion experiments (MISTEE) facility. The tests were visualized by means of a synchronized digital cinematography and continuous X-ray radiography system, called simultaneous high-speed acquisition of X-ray radiography and photography (SHARP). The acquired images followed by further analysis indicate milder interactions for the droplet with non-eutectic melt composition in the tests with low melt superheat, whereas no evident differences between eutectic and non-eutectic melt compositions regarding bubble dynamics, energetics and melt preconditioning was observed in the tests with higher melt superheat.

  15. A study of the effect of binary oxide materials in a single droplet vapor explosion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hansson, R.C.; Dinh, T.N.; Manickam, L.T.

    2013-01-01

    In an effort to explore fundamental mechanisms that may govern the effect of melt material on vapor explosion's triggering, fine fragmentation and energetics, a series of experiments using a binary-oxide mixture with eutectic and non-eutectic compositions were performed. Interactions of a hot liquid (WO 3 –CaO) droplet and a volatile liquid (water) were investigated in well-controlled, externally triggered, single-droplet experiments conducted in the Micro-interactions in steam explosion experiments (MISTEE) facility. The tests were visualized by means of a synchronized digital cinematography and continuous X-ray radiography system, called simultaneous high-speed acquisition of X-ray radiography and photography (SHARP). The acquired images followed by further analysis indicate milder interactions for the droplet with non-eutectic melt composition in the tests with low melt superheat, whereas no evident differences between eutectic and non-eutectic melt compositions regarding bubble dynamics, energetics and melt preconditioning was observed in the tests with higher melt superheat

  16. Combustion in microgravity: The French contribution

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prud'homme, Roger; Legros, Guillaume; Torero, José L.

    2017-01-01

    Microgravity (drop towers, parabolic flights, sounding rockets and space stations) are particularly relevant to combustion problems given that they show high-density gradients and in many cases weak forced convection. For some configurations where buoyancy forces result in complex flow fields, microgravity leads to ideal conditions that correspond closely to canonical problems, e.g., combustion of a spherical droplet in a far-field still atmosphere, Emmons' problem for flame spreading over a solid flat plate, deflagration waves, etc. A comprehensive chronological review on the many combustion studies in microgravity was written first by Law and Faeth (1994) and then by F.A. Williams (1995). Later on, new recommendations for research directions have been delivered. In France, research has been managed and supported by CNES and CNRS since the creation of the microgravity research group in 1992. At this time, microgravity research and future activities contemplated the following: Droplets: the "D2 law" has been well verified and high-pressure behavior of droplet combustion has been assessed. The studies must be extended in two main directions: vaporization in mixtures near the critical line and collective effects in dense sprays. Flame spread: experiments observed blue flames governed by diffusion that are in accordance with Emmons' theory. Convection-dominated flames showed significant departures from the theory. Some theoretical assumptions appeared controversial and it was noted that radiation effects must be considered, especially when regarding the role of soot production in quenching. Heterogeneous flames: two studies are in progress, one in Poitiers and the other in Marseilles, about flame/suspension interactions. Premixed and triple flames: the knowledge still needs to be complemented. Triple flames must continue to be studied and understanding of "flame balls" still needs to be addressed.

  17. Raman spectroscopic studies on single supersaturated droplets of sodium and magnesium acetate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Liang-Yu; Zhang, Yun-Hong; Zhao, Li-Jun

    2005-02-03

    Raman spectroscopy was used to study structural changes, in particular, the formation of contact-ion pairs in supersaturated aqueous NaCH(3)COO and Mg(CH(3)COO)(2) droplets at ambient temperatures. The single droplets levitated in an electrodynamic balance (EDB), lost water, and became supersaturated when the relative humidity (RH) decreased. For NaCH(3)COO droplet the water-to-solute molar ratio (WSR) was 3.87 without solidification when water molecules were not enough to fill in the first hydration layer of Na(+), in favor of the formation of contact-ion pairs. However, the symmetric stretching vibration band (nu(3) mode) of free -COO(-) constantly appeared at 1416 cm(-1), and no spectroscopic information related to monodentate, bidentate, or bridge bidentate contact-ion pairs was observed due to the weak interactions between the Na(+) and acetate ion. On the other hand, the band of methyl deformation blue shifted from 1352 to 1370 cm(-1) (at RH = 34.2%, WSR = 2.43), corresponding to the solidification process of a novel metastable phase in the highly supersaturated solutions. With further decreasing RH, a small amount of supersaturated solution still existed and was proposed to be hermetically covered by the metastable phase of the particle. In contrast, the interaction between Mg(2+) and acetate ion is much stronger. When WSR decreased from 21.67 to 2.58 for the Mg(CH(3)COO)(2) droplet, the band of C-C-symmetric stretching (nu(4) mode) had a blue shift from 936 to 947 cm(-1). The intensity of the two new shoulders (approximately 1456 and approximately 1443 cm(-1)) of the nu(3) band of free -COO(-) at 1420 cm(-1) increased with the decrease of WSR. These changes were attributed to the formation of contact-ion pairs with bidentate structures. In particular, the small frequency difference between the shoulder at approximately 1443 cm(-1) and the nu(3) band of the free -COO(-) group (approximately 1420 cm(-1)) was proposed to be related to the formation of a chain

  18. The combustion of sodium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Newman, R.N.

    1978-01-01

    The burning rates of sodium in the form of vapour jets, droplets, sprays and unconfined and confined pools have been reviewed. Attention has been paid to assessing the value of models in the various combustion modes. Additional models have been constructed for the descriptions of laminar and turbulent vapour jets, stationary droplets, forced convection over ambient pool fires together with correlations for peak pressures in confined pool environments. Where appropriate experiments with sodium have not been conducted, the likely behaviour is predicted by comparison with the burning of other fuels, particularly in the field of large free ambient fires. Some areas where further knowledge is required are highlighted. (author)

  19. Ignition and combustion characteristics of metallized propellants

    Science.gov (United States)

    Turns, Stephen R.; Mueller, D. C.

    1993-01-01

    Experimental and analytical investigations focusing on secondary atomization and ignition characteristics of aluminum/liquid hydrocarbon slurry propellants were conducted. Experimental efforts included the application of a laser-based, two-color, forward-scatter technique to simultaneously measure free-flying slurry droplet diameters and velocities for droplet diameters in the range of 10-200 microns. A multi-diffusion flame burner was used to create a high-temperature environment into which a dilute stream of slurry droplets could be introduced. Narrowband measurements of radiant emission were used to determine if ignition of the aluminum in the slurry droplet had occurred. Models of slurry droplet shell formation were applied to aluminum/liquid hydrocarbon propellants and used to ascertain the effects of solids loading and ultimate particle size on the minimum droplet diameter that will permit secondary atomization. For a 60 weight-percent Al slurry, the limiting critical diameter was predicted to be 34.7 microns which is somewhat greater than the 20-25 micron limiting diameters determined in the experiments. A previously developed model of aluminum ignition in a slurry droplet was applied to the present experiments and found to predict ignition times in reasonable agreement with experimental measurements. A model was also developed that predicts the mechanical stress in the droplet shell and a parametric study was conducted. A one-dimensional model of a slurry-fueled rocket combustion chamber was developed. This model includes the processes of liquid hydrocarbon burnout, secondary atomization, aluminum ignition, and aluminum combustion. Also included is a model for radiant heat transfer from the hot aluminum oxide particles to the chamber walls. Exercising this model shows that only a modest amount of secondary atomization is required to reduce residence times for aluminum burnout, and thereby maintain relatively short chamber lengths. The model also predicts

  20. Droplet Microfluidics for Compartmentalized Cell Lysis and Extension of DNA from Single-Cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zimny, Philip; Juncker, David; Reisner, Walter

    Current single cell DNA analysis methods suffer from (i) bias introduced by the need for molecular amplification and (ii) limited ability to sequence repetitive elements, resulting in (iii) an inability to obtain information regarding long range genomic features. Recent efforts to circumvent these limitations rely on techniques for sensing single molecules of DNA extracted from single-cells. Here we demonstrate a droplet microfluidic approach for encapsulation and biochemical processing of single-cells inside alginate microparticles. In our approach, single-cells are first packaged inside the alginate microparticles followed by cell lysis, DNA purification, and labeling steps performed off-chip inside this microparticle system. The alginate microparticles are then introduced inside a micro/nanofluidic system where the alginate is broken down via a chelating buffer, releasing long DNA molecules which are then extended inside nanofluidic channels for analysis via standard mapping protocols.

  1. 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.

  2. Ultralocalized thermal reactions in subnanoliter droplets-in-air.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salm, Eric; Guevara, Carlos Duarte; Dak, Piyush; Dorvel, Brian Ross; Reddy, Bobby; Alam, Muhammad Ashraf; Bashir, Rashid

    2013-02-26

    Miniaturized laboratory-on-chip systems promise rapid, sensitive, and multiplexed detection of biological samples for medical diagnostics, drug discovery, and high-throughput screening. Within miniaturized laboratory-on-chips, static and dynamic droplets of fluids in different immiscible media have been used as individual vessels to perform biochemical reactions and confine the products. Approaches to perform localized heating of these individual subnanoliter droplets can allow for new applications that require parallel, time-, and space-multiplex reactions on a single integrated circuit. Our method positions droplets on an array of individual silicon microwave heaters on chip to precisely control the temperature of droplets-in-air, allowing us to perform biochemical reactions, including DNA melting and detection of single base mismatches. We also demonstrate that ssDNA probe molecules can be placed on heaters in solution, dried, and then rehydrated by ssDNA target molecules in droplets for hybridization and detection. This platform enables many applications in droplets including hybridization of low copy number DNA molecules, lysing of single cells, interrogation of ligand-receptor interactions, and rapid temperature cycling for amplification of DNA molecules.

  3. Characterization of biomass combustion at high temperatures based on an upgraded single particle model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Jun; Paul, Manosh C.; Younger, Paul L.; Watson, Ian; Hossain, Mamdud; Welch, Stephen

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • High temperature rapid biomass combustion is studied based on single particle model. • Particle size changes in devolatilization and char oxidation models are addressed. • Time scales of various thermal sub-processes are compared and discussed. • Potential solutions are suggested to achieve better biomass co-firing performances. - Abstract: Biomass co-firing is becoming a promising solution to reduce CO 2 emissions, due to its renewability and carbon neutrality. Biomass normally has high moisture and volatile contents, complicating its combustion behavior, which is significantly different from that of coal. A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) combustion model of a single biomass particle is employed to study high-temperature rapid biomass combustion. The two-competing-rate model and kinetics/diffusion model are used to model biomass devolatilization reaction and char burnout process, respectively, in which the apparent kinetics used for those two models were from high temperatures and high heating rates tests. The particle size changes during the devolatilization and char burnout are also considered. The mass loss properties and temperature profile during the biomass devolatilization and combustion processes are predicted; and the timescales of particle heating up, drying, devolatilization, and char burnout are compared and discussed. Finally, the results shed light on the effects of particle size on the combustion behavior of biomass particle

  4. The effect of binary oxide materials on a single droplet vapor explosion triggering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hansson, R.C.; Manickam, L.T.; Dinh, T.N.

    2011-01-01

    In order to explore the fundamental mechanism dictated by the material influence on triggering, fine fragmentation and subsequent vapor explosion energetics, a series of experiments using a mixture of eutectic and non-eutectic binary oxide were initiated. Dynamics of the hot liquid (WO 3 -CaO) droplet and the volatile liquid (water) were investigated in the MISTEE (Micro-Interactions in Steam Explosion Experiments) facility by performing well-controlled, externally triggered, single-droplet experiments, using a high-speed visualization system with synchronized digital cinematography and continuous X-ray radiography, called SHARP (Simultaneous High-speed Acquisition of X-ray Radiography and Photography). The acquired images followed by further analysis showed a milder interaction for the non-eutectic melt composition for the tests with low melt superheat, whether no evident differences between eutectic and non-eutectic melt compositions regarding bubble dynamics, energetics and melt preconditioning was perceived for the high melt superheat tests. (author)

  5. Release model for black liquor droplet; Mustalipeaepisaran vapautumismalli

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Saastamoinen, J. [VTT Energy, Espoo (Finland)

    1997-10-01

    The release of sodium, potassium, chlorine and sulphur from black liquor droplets during pyrolysis, combustion and gasification is studied by modelling work. A model for drying, pyrolysis and swelling of black liquor has been developed earlier. A submodel for the release of sulphur, which takes place at temperatures below 500 deg C has been incorporated to this model. A previous model for the combustion and gasification of char particles has been further developed to account for the effect of sodium, potassium and chlorine. A model for the release of these components as function of time has been developed. (orig.)

  6. Infrared monitoring of combustion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bates, S.C.; Morrison, P.W. Jr.; Solomon, P.R.

    1991-01-01

    In this paper, the use of Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy for combustion monitoring is described. A combination of emission, transmission, and reflection FT-IR spectroscopy yields data on the temperature and composition of the gases, surfaces and suspended particles in the combustion environment. Detection sensitivity of such trace exhaust gases as CO, CO 2 , SO 2 , NO x , and unburned hydrocarbons is at the ppm level. Tomographic reconstruction converts line-of-sight measurements into spatially resolved temperature and concentration data. Examples from various combustion processes are used to demonstrate the capabilities of the technique. Industrial measurements are described that have been performed directly in the combustion zone and in the exhaust duct of a large chemical recovery boiler. Other measurements of hot slag show how FT-IR spectroscopy can determine the temperature and optical properties of surfaces. In addition, experiments with water droplets show that transmission FT-IR data yield spectra that characterize particle size and number density

  7. The effect of binary oxide materials on a single droplet vapor explosion triggering

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hansson, R.C.; Manickam, L.T.; Dinh, T.N. [Royal Inst. of Tech., Stockholm (Sweden)

    2011-07-01

    In order to explore the fundamental mechanism dictated by the material influence on triggering, fine fragmentation and subsequent vapor explosion energetics, a series of experiments using a mixture of eutectic and non-eutectic binary oxide were initiated. Dynamics of the hot liquid (WO{sub 3}-CaO) droplet and the volatile liquid (water) were investigated in the MISTEE (Micro-Interactions in Steam Explosion Experiments) facility by performing well-controlled, externally triggered, single-droplet experiments, using a high-speed visualization system with synchronized digital cinematography and continuous X-ray radiography, called SHARP (Simultaneous High-speed Acquisition of X-ray Radiography and Photography). The acquired images followed by further analysis showed a milder interaction for the non-eutectic melt composition for the tests with low melt superheat, whether no evident differences between eutectic and non-eutectic melt compositions regarding bubble dynamics, energetics and melt preconditioning was perceived for the high melt superheat tests. (author)

  8. Understanding Combustion Processes Through Microgravity Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ronney, Paul D.

    1998-01-01

    A review of research on the effects of gravity on combustion processes is presented, with an emphasis on a discussion of the ways in which reduced-gravity experiments and modeling has led to new understanding. Comparison of time scales shows that the removal of buoyancy-induced convection leads to manifestations of other transport mechanisms, notably radiative heat transfer and diffusional processes such as Lewis number effects. Examples from premixed-gas combustion, non-premixed gas-jet flames, droplet combustion, flame spread over solid and liquid fuels, and other fields are presented. Promising directions for new research are outlined, the most important of which is suggested to be radiative reabsorption effects in weakly burning flames.

  9. Extraction of tributyltin and triphenyltin across a single oil droplet/water interface

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chikama, Katsumi; Negishi, Takayuki; Nakatani, Kiyoharu

    2004-01-01

    Tributyltin (TBT + ) and triphenyltin (TPT + ) were extracted with merocyanine 540 (MC - ) from water into a 1,6-dichlorohexane droplet with the radius of 40 μm and the absorption spectra of MC - were measured by a single microdroplet manipulation and microabsorption technique. The mass transfer rate and the partitioning ratio of MC - were characteristically influenced by the TBT + , TPT + , MC - , and Cl - concentrations in water. The ion pair extraction processes of the organotin compounds with the anions were discussed in terms of the ion transfer and adsorption-desorption of the solutes

  10. Prediction of Non-Equilibrium Kinetics of Fuel-Rich Kerosene/LOX Combustion in Gas Generator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yu, Jung Min; Lee, Chang Jin

    2007-01-01

    Gas generator is the device to produce high enthalpy gases needed to drive turbo-pump system in liquid rocket engine. And, the combustion temperature in gas generator should be controlled below around 1,000K to avoid any possible thermal damages to turbine blade by using either fuel rich combustion or oxidizer rich combustion. Thus, nonequilibrium chemical reaction dominates in fuel-rich combustion of gas generator. Meanwhile, kerosene is a compounded fuel with various types of hydrocarbon elements and difficult to model the chemical kinetics. This study focuses on the prediction of the non-equilibrium reaction of fuel rich kerosene/LOX combustion with detailed kinetics developed by Dagaut using PSR (Perfectly Stirred Reactor) assumption. In Dagaut's surrogate model for kerosene, chemical kinetics of kerosene consists of 1,592 reaction steps with 207 chemical species. Also, droplet evaporation time is taken into account in the PSR calculation by changing the residence time of droplet in the gas generator. Frenklach's soot model was implemented along with detailed kinetics to calculate the gas properties of fuel rich combustion efflux. The results could provide very reliable and accurate numbers in the prediction of combustion gas temperature,species fraction and material properties

  11. Characteristics of spray flames and the effect of group combustion on the morphology of flame-made nanoparticles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eslamian, Morteza; Heine, Martin C.

    2008-01-01

    Characteristics of burning and non-burning sprays generated by a coaxial air-assist nozzle, previously used for the synthesis of ceramic nanoparticles by flame spray pyrolysis (FSP), are studied using phase Doppler anemometry. Also, the effect of droplet interaction on the overall combustion behavior of the spray (group combustion) and, consequently, on the characteristics of flame-made ceramic particles is investigated. A physical model is proposed which correlates the formation of inhomogeneous mixtures of micron-sized hollow particles and solid nanoparticles to the combustion mode: the precursor droplets which entirely evaporate in the hot flame are responsible for the formation of nanoparticles. The vapor species react, forming intermediate and product molecules and clusters that quickly grow to nanosized ceramic particles. On the other hand, under certain conditions, a small number of the droplets, particularly with large initial sizes, escape from the spray boundaries and become extinguished, producing large hollow ceramic particles. It is also possible that some of the large droplets, which lie within the spray core, do not entirely evaporate. These surviving droplets then form large particles which are usually hollow but can collapse to solid particles at sufficiently high temperatures. Also, a criterion for the formation of homogeneous ceramic nanoparticles is presented.

  12. Characteristics of spray flames and the effect of group combustion on the morphology of flame-made nanoparticles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eslamian, Morteza; Heine, Martin C

    2008-01-01

    Characteristics of burning and non-burning sprays generated by a coaxial air-assist nozzle, previously used for the synthesis of ceramic nanoparticles by flame spray pyrolysis (FSP), are studied using phase Doppler anemometry. Also, the effect of droplet interaction on the overall combustion behavior of the spray (group combustion) and, consequently, on the characteristics of flame-made ceramic particles is investigated. A physical model is proposed which correlates the formation of inhomogeneous mixtures of micron-sized hollow particles and solid nanoparticles to the combustion mode: the precursor droplets which entirely evaporate in the hot flame are responsible for the formation of nanoparticles. The vapor species react, forming intermediate and product molecules and clusters that quickly grow to nanosized ceramic particles. On the other hand, under certain conditions, a small number of the droplets, particularly with large initial sizes, escape from the spray boundaries and become extinguished, producing large hollow ceramic particles. It is also possible that some of the large droplets, which lie within the spray core, do not entirely evaporate. These surviving droplets then form large particles which are usually hollow but can collapse to solid particles at sufficiently high temperatures. Also, a criterion for the formation of homogeneous ceramic nanoparticles is presented

  13. Three-axis acoustic device for levitation of droplets in an open gas stream and its application to examine sulfur dioxide absorption by water droplets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stephens, Terrance L; Budwig, Ralph S

    2007-01-01

    Two acoustic devices to stabilize a droplet in an open gas stream (single-axis and three-axis levitators) have been designed and tested. The gas stream was provided by a jet apparatus with a 64 mm exit diameter and a uniform velocity profile. The acoustic source used was a Langevin vibrator with a concave reflector. The single-axis levitator relied primarily on the radial force from the acoustic field and was shown to be limited because of significant droplet wandering. The three-axis levitator relied on a combination of the axial and radial forces. The three-axis levitator was applied to examine droplet deformation and circulation and to investigate the uptake of SO(2) from the gas stream to the droplet. Droplets ranging in diameters from 2 to 5 mm were levitated in gas streams with velocities up to 9 ms. Droplet wandering was on the order of a half droplet diameter for a 3 mm diameter droplet. Droplet circulation ranged from the predicted Hadamard-Rybczynski pattern to a rotating droplet pattern. Droplet pH over a central volume of the droplet was measured by planar laser induced fluorescence. The results for the decay of droplet pH versus time are in general agreement with published theory and experiments.

  14. Adjuvants for single droplet application of glyphosate

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mathiassen, Solvejg Kopp; Kudsk, Per; Lund, Ivar

    2016-01-01

    Retention and biological activity of droplets of glyphosate deposited onto plant leaves using a Drop on Demand inkjet printer application system, was examined on pot-grown Brassica napus, Solanum nigrum, Chenopodium album, Silene noctiflora and Echinocloa crus-galli plants. Retention was measured...

  15. 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).

  16. Droplet Microfluidics Approach for Single-DNA Molecule Amplification and Condensation into DNA-Magnesium-Pyrophosphate Particles

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Greta Zubaite

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Protein expression in vitro has broad applications in directed evolution, synthetic biology, proteomics and drug screening. However, most of the in vitro expression systems rely on relatively high DNA template concentrations to obtain sufficient amounts of proteins, making it harder to perform in vitro screens on gene libraries. Here, we report a technique for the generation of condensed DNA particles that can serve as efficient templates for in vitro gene expression. We apply droplet microfluidics to encapsulate single-DNA molecules in 3-picoliter (pL volume droplets and convert them into 1 μm-sized DNA particles by the multiple displacement amplification reaction driven by phi29 DNA polymerase. In the presence of magnesium ions and inorganic pyrophosphate, the amplified DNA condensed into the crystalline-like particles, making it possible to purify them from the reaction mix by simple centrifugation. Using purified DNA particles, we performed an in vitro transcription-translation reaction and successfully expressed complex enzyme β-galactosidase in droplets and in the 384-well format. The yield of protein obtained from DNA particles was significantly higher than from the corresponding amount of free DNA templates, thus opening new possibilities for high throughput screening applications.

  17. Fundamental study of single biomass particle combustion

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Momeni, M.

    2013-06-01

    This thesis is a comprehensive study of single biomass particle combustion. The effect of particle shape and size and operating conditions on biomass conversion characteristics were investigated experimentally and theoretically. The experimental samples were divided in two groups: particles with regular shapes (spheres and cylinders) and particles with irregular shapes (almost flake-like). A CAMSIZER analyser (Retsch Technology GMBH) was used to determine the size and shape of the particles via Dynamical Digital Image Processing. The experiments were performed in a single particle reactor under well-defined conditions, and the complete combustion processes were recorded as video sequences by a CCD camera installed in the set-up. One of the project objectives is to simulate conditions reasonably close to the conditions in a power plant boiler, i.e., reasonably high temperatures (up to 1600 deg. C) and varying oxygen concentrations in the 5 to 20% range. A one-dimensional mathematical model was used to simulate all the intraparticle conversion processes (drying, recondensation, devolatilisation, char gasification/oxidation and heat/mass/momentum transfer) within single particles of different shapes and size under various conditions. The model also predicts the flame layer domain of a single particle. The model was validated by experimental results under different conditions; good agreement between the model predictions and the experimental data was observed. Both the experimental and modelling results showed that cylindrical particles lose mass faster than spherical particles of a similar volume (mass) and that the burnout time is reduced by increasing the particle aspect ratio (surface area to volume ratio). Very similar conversion times were observed for cylindrical particles with nearly identical surface area to volume ratios. Similar conversion times were also observed for two size classes of pulverised particles (with irregular shapes) made from the same type of

  18. Evaporation of freely suspended single droplets: experimental, theoretical and computational simulations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hołyst, R; Litniewski, M; Jakubczyk, D; Kolwas, K; Kolwas, M; Kowalski, K; Migacz, S; Palesa, S; Zientara, M

    2013-01-01

    Evaporation is ubiquitous in nature. This process influences the climate, the formation of clouds, transpiration in plants, the survival of arctic organisms, the efficiency of car engines, the structure of dried materials and many other phenomena. Recent experiments discovered two novel mechanisms accompanying evaporation: temperature discontinuity at the liquid–vapour interface during evaporation and equilibration of pressures in the whole system during evaporation. None of these effects has been predicted previously by existing theories despite the fact that after 130 years of investigation the theory of evaporation was believed to be mature. These two effects call for reanalysis of existing experimental data and such is the goal of this review. In this article we analyse the experimental and the computational simulation data on the droplet evaporation of several different systems: water into its own vapour, water into the air, diethylene glycol into nitrogen and argon into its own vapour. We show that the temperature discontinuity at the liquid–vapour interface discovered by Fang and Ward (1999 Phys. Rev. E 59 417–28) is a rule rather than an exception. We show in computer simulations for a single-component system (argon) that this discontinuity is due to the constraint of momentum/pressure equilibrium during evaporation. For high vapour pressure the temperature is continuous across the liquid–vapour interface, while for small vapour pressures the temperature is discontinuous. The temperature jump at the interface is inversely proportional to the vapour density close to the interface. We have also found that all analysed data are described by the following equation: da/dt = P 1 /(a + P 2 ), where a is the radius of the evaporating droplet, t is time and P 1 and P 2 are two parameters. P 1 = −λΔT/(q eff ρ L ), where λ is the thermal conductivity coefficient in the vapour at the interface, ΔT is the temperature difference between the liquid droplet

  19. Deformation pathways and breakup modes in acoustically levitated bicomponent droplets under external heating

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pathak, Binita; Basu, Saptarshi

    2016-03-01

    Controlled breakup of droplets using heat or acoustics is pivotal in applications such as pharmaceutics, nanoparticle production, and combustion. In the current work we have identified distinct thermal acoustics-induced deformation regimes (ligaments and bubbles) and breakup dynamics in externally heated acoustically levitated bicomponent (benzene-dodecane) droplets with a wide variation in volatility of the two components (benzene is significantly more volatile than dodecane). We showcase the physical mechanism and universal behavior of droplet surface caving in leading to the inception and growth of ligaments. The caving of the top surface is governed by a balance between the acoustic pressure field and the restrictive surface tension of the droplet. The universal collapse of caving profiles for different benzene concentration (70 % by volume). The findings are portable to any similar bicomponent systems with differential volatility.

  20. Vaporization of irradiated droplets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Armstrong, R.L.; O'Rourke, P.J.; Zardecki, A.

    1986-01-01

    The vaporization of a spherically symmetric liquid droplet subject to a high-intensity laser flux is investigated on the basis of a hydrodynamic description of the system composed of the vapor and ambient gas. In the limit of the convective vaporization, the boundary conditions at the fluid--gas interface are formulated by using the notion of a Knudsen layer in which translational equilibrium is established. This leads to approximate jump conditions at the interface. For homogeneous energy deposition, the hydrodynamic equations are solved numerically with the aid of the CON1D computer code (''CON1D: A computer program for calculating spherically symmetric droplet combustion,'' Los Alamos National Laboratory Report No. LA-10269-MS, December, 1984), based on the implict continuous--fluid Eulerian (ICE) [J. Comput. Phys. 8, 197 (1971)] and arbitrary Lagrangian--Eulerian (ALE) [J. Comput. Phys. 14, 1227 (1974)] numerical mehtods. The solutions exhibit the existence of two shock waves propagating in opposite directions with respect to the contact discontinuity surface that separates the ambient gas and vapor

  1. Proceedings of the 2006 Combustion Institute Canadian Section spring technical meeting

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Devaud, C.; Weckman, E.; Lam, C.; Spike, E.

    2006-01-01

    This conference provided a networking opportunity for academic, government and industrial combustion researchers from across Canada. All aspects of combustion were discussed, particularly those related to new engine technologies that reduce exhaust gas emissions while maintaining performance. Major engine operating and fuelling control parameters that improve combustion efficiency were identified. The conference was divided into several sessions dealing with combustion emissions and pollutants such as soot and particulates; alternative fuels including biofuels and fuel cells; chemical kinetics; droplet and spray combustion; combustion synthesis of materials; detonations, explosions, fires, flammability, flares and incineration; environmental issues and hazard analysis; and, numerical modeling and simulation. The conference featured 61 presentations, of which 39 have been catalogued separately for inclusion in this database

  2. Solution combustion synthesis of strontium aluminate, SrAl2O4, powders: single-fuel versus fuel-mixture approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ianoş, Robert; Istratie, Roxana; Păcurariu, Cornelia; Lazău, Radu

    2016-01-14

    The solution combustion synthesis of strontium aluminate, SrAl2O4, via the classic single-fuel approach and the modern fuel-mixture approach was investigated in relation to the synthesis conditions, powder properties and thermodynamic aspects. The single-fuel approach (urea or glycine) did not yield SrAl2O4 directly from the combustion reaction. The absence of SrAl2O4 was explained by the low amount of energy released during the combustion process, in spite of the highly negative values of the standard enthalpy of reaction and standard Gibbs free energy. In the case of single-fuel recipes, the maximum combustion temperatures measured by thermal imaging (482 °C - urea, 941 °C - glycine) were much lower than the calculated adiabatic temperatures (1864 °C - urea, 2147 °C - glycine). The fuel-mixture approach (urea and glycine) clearly represented a better option, since (α,β)-SrAl2O4 resulted directly from the combustion reaction. The maximum combustion temperature measured in the case of a urea and glycine fuel mixture was the highest one (1559 °C), which was relatively close to the calculated adiabatic temperature (1930 °C). The addition of a small amount of flux, such as H3BO3, enabled the formation of pure α-SrAl2O4 directly from the combustion reaction.

  3. Extraction of tributyltin and triphenyltin across a single oil droplet/water interface

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chikama, Katsumi; Negishi, Takayuki; Nakatani, Kiyoharu

    2004-07-01

    Tributyltin (TBT{sup +}) and triphenyltin (TPT{sup +}) were extracted with merocyanine 540 (MC{sup -}) from water into a 1,6-dichlorohexane droplet with the radius of 40 {mu}m and the absorption spectra of MC{sup -} were measured by a single microdroplet manipulation and microabsorption technique. The mass transfer rate and the partitioning ratio of MC{sup -} were characteristically influenced by the TBT{sup +}, TPT{sup +}, MC{sup -}, and Cl{sup -} concentrations in water. The ion pair extraction processes of the organotin compounds with the anions were discussed in terms of the ion transfer and adsorption-desorption of the solutes.

  4. 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.)

  5. Janus droplet as a catalytic micromotor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shklyaev, Sergey

    2015-06-01

    Self-propulsion of a Janus droplet in a solution of surfactant, which reacts on a half of a drop surface, is studied theoretically. The droplet acts as a catalytic motor creating a concentration gradient, which generates its surface-tension-driven motion; the self-propulsion speed is rather high, 60 μ \\text{m/s} and more. This catalytic motor has several advantages over other micromotors: simple manufacturing, easily attained neutral buoyancy. In contrast to a single-fluid droplet, which demonstrates a self-propulsion as a result of symmetry breaking instability, for the Janus one no stability threshold exists; hence, the droplet radius can be scaled down to micrometers.

  6. Leidenfrost boiling of water droplet

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Orzechowski Tadeusz

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The investigations concerned a large water droplet at the heating surface temperature above the Leidenfrost point. The heating cylinder was the main component of experimental stand on which investigations were performed. The measurement system was placed on the high-sensitivity scales. Data transmission was performed through RS232 interface. The author-designed program, with extended functions to control the system, was applied. The present paper examines the behaviour of a large single drop levitating over a hot surface, unsteady mass of the drop, and heat transfer. In computations, the dependence, available in the literature, for the orthogonal droplet projection on the heating surface as a function of time was employed. It was confirmed that the local value of the heat transfer coefficient is a power function of the area of the droplet surface projection. Also, a linear relationship between the flux of mass evaporated from the droplet and the droplet orthogonal projection was observed.

  7. Leidenfrost boiling of water droplet

    Science.gov (United States)

    Orzechowski, Tadeusz

    The investigations concerned a large water droplet at the heating surface temperature above the Leidenfrost point. The heating cylinder was the main component of experimental stand on which investigations were performed. The measurement system was placed on the high-sensitivity scales. Data transmission was performed through RS232 interface. The author-designed program, with extended functions to control the system, was applied. The present paper examines the behaviour of a large single drop levitating over a hot surface, unsteady mass of the drop, and heat transfer. In computations, the dependence, available in the literature, for the orthogonal droplet projection on the heating surface as a function of time was employed. It was confirmed that the local value of the heat transfer coefficient is a power function of the area of the droplet surface projection. Also, a linear relationship between the flux of mass evaporated from the droplet and the droplet orthogonal projection was observed.

  8. Combustion performance of an aluminum melting furnace operating with liquid fuel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nieckele, Angela Ourivio; Naccache, Monica Feijo; Gomes, Marcos Sebastiao de P. [Pontificia Universidade Catolica (PUC-Rio), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Dept. de Engenharia Mecanica], E-mails: nieckele@puc-rio.br, naccache@puc-rio.br, mspgomes@puc-rio.br

    2010-10-15

    The characteristics associated with the delivery of the fuel to be used as the energy source in any industrial combustion equipment are of extreme importance, as for example, in improving the performance of the combustion process and in the preservation of the equipment. A clean and efficient combustion may be achieved by carefully selecting the fuel and oxidant, as well as the operational conditions of the delivery system for both. In the present work, numerical simulations were carried out using the commercial code FLUENT for analyzing some of the relevant operational conditions inside an aluminum reverb furnace employing liquid fuel and air as the oxidant. Different fuel droplets sizes as well as inlet droplet stream configurations were examined. These characteristics, associated with the burner geometry and the fuel dispersion and delivery system may affect the flame shape, and consequently the temperature and the heat flux distribution within the furnace. Among the results obtained in the simulations, it was shown the possible damages to the equipment, which may occur as a result of the combustion process, if the flame is too long or too intense and concentrated. (author)

  9. Water Entry by a Train of Droplets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ohl, Claus-Dieter; Huang, Xin; Chan, Chon U.; Frommhold, Philipp Erhard; Lippert, Alexander

    2014-11-01

    The impact of single droplets on a deep pool is a well-studied phenomenon which reveals reach fluid mechanics. Lesser studied is the impact of a train of droplet and the accompanied formation of largely elongated cavities, in particular for well controlled droplets. The droplets with diameters of 20-40 μm and velocities of approx. 20 m/s are generated with a piezo-actuated nozzle at rates of 200-300 kHz. Individual droplets are selected by electric charging and deflection and the impact is visualized with stroboscopic photography and high-speed videos. We study in particular the formation and shape of the cavity as by varying the number of droplets from one to 64. The cavities reach centimetres in length with lateral diameters of the order of 100 of micrometres.

  10. An Experimental Study on the Dynamics of a Single Droplet Vapor Explosion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Concilio Hansson, Roberta

    2010-01-01

    The present study aims to develop a mechanistic understanding of the thermal-hydraulic processes in a vapor explosion, which may occur in nuclear power plants during a hypothetical severe accident involving interactions of high-temperature corium melt and volatile coolant. Over the past several decades, a large body of literature has been accumulated on vapor explosion phenomenology and methods for assessment of the related risk. Vapor explosion is driven by a rapid fragmentation of high temperature melt droplets, leading to a substantial increase of heat transfer areas and subsequent explosive evaporation of the volatile coolant. Constrained by the liquid-phase coolant, the rapid vapor production in the interaction zone causes pressurization and dynamic loading on surrounding structures. While such a general understanding has been established, the triggering mechanism and subsequent dynamic fine fragmentation have yet not been clearly understood. A few mechanistic fragmentation models have been proposed, however, computational efforts to simulate the phenomena generated a large scatter of results. Dynamics of the hot liquid (melt) droplet and the volatile liquid (coolant) are investigated in the MISTEE (Micro-Interactions in Steam Explosion Experiments) facility by performing well-controlled, externally triggered, single-droplet experiments, using a high-speed visualization system with synchronized digital cinematography and continuous X-ray radiography, called SHARP (Simultaneous High-speed Acquisition of X-ray Radiography and Photography). After an elaborate image processing, the SHARP images depict the evolution of both melt material (dispersal) and coolant (bubble dynamics), and their microscale interactions, i.e. the triggering phenomenology. The images point to coolant entrainment into the droplet surface as the mechanism for direct contact/mixing ultimately responsible for energetic interactions. Most importantly, the MISTEE data reveals an inverse

  11. An Experimental Study on the Dynamics of a Single Droplet Vapor Explosion

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Concilio Hansson, Roberta

    2010-07-01

    The present study aims to develop a mechanistic understanding of the thermal-hydraulic processes in a vapor explosion, which may occur in nuclear power plants during a hypothetical severe accident involving interactions of high-temperature corium melt and volatile coolant. Over the past several decades, a large body of literature has been accumulated on vapor explosion phenomenology and methods for assessment of the related risk. Vapor explosion is driven by a rapid fragmentation of high temperature melt droplets, leading to a substantial increase of heat transfer areas and subsequent explosive evaporation of the volatile coolant. Constrained by the liquid-phase coolant, the rapid vapor production in the interaction zone causes pressurization and dynamic loading on surrounding structures. While such a general understanding has been established, the triggering mechanism and subsequent dynamic fine fragmentation have yet not been clearly understood. A few mechanistic fragmentation models have been proposed, however, computational efforts to simulate the phenomena generated a large scatter of results. Dynamics of the hot liquid (melt) droplet and the volatile liquid (coolant) are investigated in the MISTEE (Micro-Interactions in Steam Explosion Experiments) facility by performing well-controlled, externally triggered, single-droplet experiments, using a high-speed visualization system with synchronized digital cinematography and continuous X-ray radiography, called SHARP (Simultaneous High-speed Acquisition of X-ray Radiography and Photography). After an elaborate image processing, the SHARP images depict the evolution of both melt material (dispersal) and coolant (bubble dynamics), and their microscale interactions, i.e. the triggering phenomenology. The images point to coolant entrainment into the droplet surface as the mechanism for direct contact/mixing ultimately responsible for energetic interactions. Most importantly, the MISTEE data reveals an inverse

  12. Preparation and Characterization of Nano-structured Ceramic Powders Synthesized by Emulsion Combustion Method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Takatori, Kazumasa; Tani, Takao; Watanabe, Naoyoshi; Kamiya, Nobuo

    1999-01-01

    The emulsion combustion method (ECM), a novel powder production process, was originally developed to synthesize nano-structured metal-oxide powders. Metal ions in the aqueous droplets were rapidly oxidized by the combustion of the surrounding flammable liquid. The ECM achieved a small reaction field and a short reaction period to fabricate the submicron-sized hollow ceramic particles with extremely thin wall and chemically homogeneous ceramic powder. Alumina, zirconia, zirconia-ceria solid solutions and barium titanate were synthesized by the ECM process. Alumina and zirconia powders were characterized to be metastable in crystalline phase and hollow structure. The wall thickness of alumina was about 10 nm. The zirconia-ceria powders were found to be single-phase solid solutions for a wide composition range. These powders were characterized as equiaxed-shape, submicron-sized chemically homogeneous materials. The powder formation mechanism was investigated through the synthesis of barium titanate powder with different metal sources

  13. Research and development achievement report for fiscal 1994 concerning the creation of advanced combustion technologies utilizing the microgravity environment; 1994 nendo bisho juryoku kankyo wo riyoshita kodo nensho gijutsu soshutsu ni kansuru kenkyu kaihatsu seika hokokusho

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1995-03-01

    The development committee concluded an agreement about on-site researches with NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) for an international joint study, and the joint study was started at the underground microgravity center. Experiments were conducted at microgravity experimenting facilities and the data obtained were subjected to analysis and evaluation, which eventually contributed to the accumulation of useful data. In this fiscal year, microgravity experimenting facilities were utilized for experiments and tests for (1) the evaluation of the combustion and vaporization of fuel droplets and fuel droplet arrays, (2) analysis and evaluation of high-density fuel combustion characteristics, (3) evaluation of flammability limits, and (4) elucidation of the mechanism of the generation of NOx and the like. A total of 112 drop tests were conducted, and the acquired data were subjected to analysis and evaluation for the elucidation of the combustion mechanism, and findings were collected as mentioned below. Learned were the combustion behavior of fuel droplets such as ignition and flame propagation under item (1), combustion behavior such as ignition and combustion of high-density fuel under item (2), combustion behavior and combustion limits of premixed fuel under (3), and measurement of distribution of combustion products such as OH in the droplet fuel flaming zone under item (4). (NEDO)

  14. Heat transfer and combustion in microgravity; Mujuryokuka deno netsukogaku

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ito, K [Hokkaido University, Sapporo (Japan). Faculty of Engineering

    1994-09-05

    Examples of thermal engineering under gravity free state are introduced. When making semiconductor crystals, the thermal conductivity of the molten substance becomes important but in a microgravity environment where the thermal convection is suppressed, this value can be accurately measured. Although there are many unknown points regarding the thermal conductive mechanism of thermal control equipment elements under microgravity, theoretical analysis is being advanced. It is anticipated that the verification of this theory using liquid droplets will be made. The conveying of boiling heat under microgravity is suppressed because the bubbles stick to the heat source. When a non-azeotropic composition is used, Marangoni convection occurs, and the conveying is promoted. Since there is no thermal convection in microgravity combustion, diffusion dominates. In order to make the phenomenon clear, the free-fall tower can be utilized. A liquid droplet flame will become a complete, integrated, spherical flame. Vaporization coefficient and combustion velocity which are impossible to measure on the ground can be measured. In the case of metal fires occuring in space, the movement of metal dominates the combustion. In microgravity, dust coal will float in a stationary state so the process of combustion can be observed. It is believed that the diffusion flame of hydrocarbons will be thicker than the flame on the ground. 11 refs., 4 figs.

  15. Investigation of a piezoelectric droplet delivery method for fuel injection and physical property evaluation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Wei; Menon, Shyam

    2017-11-01

    A piezoelectric droplet generator is investigated to deliver liquid hydrocarbon fuels to a micro-combustor application. Besides fuel delivery, the setup is intended to measure fuel physical properties such as viscosity and surface tension. These properties are highly relevant to spray generation in internal combustion engines. Accordingly, a drop-on-demand piezoelectric dispenser is used to generate fuel droplet trains, which are studied using imaging and Phase Doppler Particle Anemometry (PDPA). The diagnostics provide information regarding droplet size and velocity and their evolution over time. The measurements are correlated with results from one-dimensional (1D) models that incorporate sub-models for piezo-electric actuation and droplet vaporization. By validating the 1D models for fuels with known physical properties, a technique is developed that has the capability to meter low-vapor pressure liquid fuels to the microcombustor and use information from the droplet train to calculate physical properties of novel fuels.

  16. Combustion stratification for naphtha from CI combustion to PPC

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Vallinayagam, R.; Vedharaj, S.; An, Y.; Dawood, A.; Izadi Najafabadi, M.; Somers, L.M.T.; Johansson, B.H.

    2017-01-01

    This study demonstrated the change in combustion homogeneity from conventional diesel combustion via partially premixed combustion towards HCCI. Experiments are performed in an optical diesel engine at a speed of 1200 rpm with diesel fuel. Single injection strategy is employed and the fuel is

  17. FY 2000 report on research and development of combustion technology utilizing microgravity conditions for fuel diversification; 2000 nendo bisho juryoku kankyo wo riyoshita nenryo tayoka nensho gijutsu no kenkyu kaihatsu seika hokokusho

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2001-03-01

    This project is aimed at development of optimum combustion technology with diversified fuels, e.g., naphtha and LCO, for gas turbines and others as power sources for topographical energy supply. The combustion under the microgravity is also investigated using the underground facilities at Japan Microgravity Center. Described herein are the FY 2000 results. For construction of combustion model and simulation, the combustion reactions for various liquid fuels are simplified to calculate ignition delay, adiabatic flame temperature and laminar burning velocity with an error less than about 3%. The microgravity combustion experiments are conducted for spray dispersed into a cylinder, to find flame propagation velocities changing with the vaporization characteristics of liquid fuels, and also to construct the combustion models. The premixed turbulent combustion simulation program is developed using a probability density function and analyzed. Development of new combustion technologies includes the study themes of flame propagation and combustion of the air mixture of the multi-component fuel in which the spray exists, combustion characteristics of the droplets of diversified fuels, and combustion of gas turbines with diversified fuels. A propane/air mixture shows different flame propagation characteristics whether it contains kerosene or LCO droplets. The effects of electrical field intensity in the combustion zone on combustion of fuel droplets are elucidated. (NEDO)

  18. Ignition and combustion characteristics of metallized propellants, phase 2

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mueller, D. C.; Turns, S. R.

    1994-01-01

    Experimental and analytical investigations focusing on aluminum/hydrocarbon gel droplet secondary atomization and its effects on gel-fueled rocket engine performance are being conducted. A single laser sheet sizing/velocimetry diagnostic technique, which should eliminate sizing bias in the data collection process, has been designed and constructed to overcome limitations of the two-color forward-scatter technique used in previous work. Calibration of this system is in progress and the data acquisition/validation code is being written. Narrow-band measurements of radiant emission, discussed in previous reports, will be used to determine if aluminum ignition has occurred in a gel droplet. A one-dimensional model of a gel-fueled rocket combustion chamber, described in earlier reports, has been exercised in conjunction with a two-dimensional, two-phase nozzle code to predict the performance of an aluminum/hydrocarbon fueled engine. Estimated secondary atomization effects on propellant burnout distance, condensed particle radiation losses to the chamber walls, and nozzle two phase flow losses are also investigated. Calculations indicate that only modest secondary atomization is required to significantly reduce propellant burnout distances, aluminum oxide residual size, and radiation heat losses. Radiation losses equal to approximately 2-13 percent of the energy released during combustion were estimated, depending on secondary atomization intensity. A two-dimensional, two-phase nozzle code was employed to estimate radiation and nozzle two phase flow effects on overall engine performance. Radiation losses yielded a one percent decrease in engine Isp. Results also indicate that secondary atomization may have less effect on two-phase losses than it does on propellant burnout distance and no effect if oxide particle coagulation and shear induced droplet breakup govern oxide particle size. Engine Isp was found to decrease from 337.4 to 293.7 seconds as gel aluminum mass

  19. 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.

  20. Mathematical model for self-propelled droplets driven by interfacial tension

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nagai, Ken H. [School of Materials Science, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Nomi, Ishikawa 923-1292 (Japan); Tachibana, Kunihito; Tobe, Yuta; Kazama, Masaki [Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-1192 (Japan); Kitahata, Hiroyuki [Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, Chiba University, Chiba 263-8522 (Japan); Omata, Seiro [Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-1192 (Japan); Nagayama, Masaharu, E-mail: nagayama@es.hokudai.ac.jp [Research Institute for Electronic Science, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido 060-0812 (Japan); CREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Tokyo 102-0076 (Japan)

    2016-03-21

    We propose a model for the spontaneous motion of a droplet induced by inhomogeneity in interfacial tension. The model is derived from a variation of the Lagrangian of the system and we use a time-discretized Morse flow scheme to perform its numerical simulations. Our model can naturally simulate the dynamics of a single droplet, as well as that of multiple droplets, where the volume of each droplet is conserved. We reproduced the ballistic motion and fission of a droplet, and the collision of two droplets was also examined numerically.

  1. A numerical study on the effect of various combustion bowl parameters on the performance, combustion, and emission behavior on a single cylinder diesel engine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Balasubramanian, Dhinesh; Sokkalingam Arumugam, Sabari Rajan; Subramani, Lingesan; Joshua Stephen Chellakumar, Isaac JoshuaRamesh Lalvani; Mani, Annamalai

    2018-01-01

    A numerical study was carried out to study the effect of various combustion bowl parameters on the performance behavior, combustion characteristics, and emission magnitude on a single cylinder diesel engine. A base combustion bowl and 11 different combustion bowls were created by varying the aspect ratio, reentrancy ratio, and bore to bowl ratio. The study was carried out at engine rated speed and a full throttle performance condition, without altering the compression ratio. The results revealed that the combustion bowl parameters could have a huge impact on the performance behavior, combustion characteristics, and emission magnitude of the engine. The bowl parameters, namely throat diameter and toroidal radius, played a crucial role in determining the performance behavior of the combustion bowls. It was observed that the combustion bowl parameters, namely central pip distance, throat diameter, and bowl depth, also could have an impact on the combustion characteristics. And throat diameter and toroidal radius, central pip distance, and toroidal corner radius could have a consequent effect on the emission magnitude of the engine. Of the different combustion bowls tested, combustion bowl 4 was preferable to others owing to the superior performance of 3% of higher indicated mean effective pressure and lower fuel consumption. Interestingly, trade-off for NO x emission was higher only by 2.85% compared with the base bowl. The sensitivity analysis proved that bowl depth, bowl diameter, toroidal radius, and throat diameter played a vital role in the fuel consumption parameter and emission characteristics even at the manufacturing tolerance variations.

  2. Accurate Detection of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Mixtures by Use of Single-Bacterium Duplex Droplet Digital PCR.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luo, Jun; Li, Junhua; Yang, Hang; Yu, Junping; Wei, Hongping

    2017-10-01

    Accurate and rapid identification of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is needed to screen MRSA carriers and improve treatment. The current widely used duplex PCR methods are not able to differentiate MRSA from coexisting methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) or other methicillin-resistant staphylococci. In this study, we aimed to develop a direct method for accurate and rapid detection of MRSA in clinical samples from open environments, such as nasal swabs. The new molecular assay is based on detecting the cooccurrence of nuc and mecA markers in a single bacterial cell by utilizing droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) with the chimeric lysin ClyH for cell lysis. The method consists of (i) dispersion of an intact single bacterium into nanoliter droplets, (ii) temperature-controlled release of genomic DNA (gDNA) by ClyH at 37°C, and (iii) amplification and detection of the markers ( nuc and mecA ) using standard TaqMan chemistries with ddPCR. Results were analyzed based on MRSA index ratios used for indicating the presence of the duplex-positive markers in droplets. The method was able to achieve an absolute limit of detection (LOD) of 2,900 CFU/ml for MRSA in nasal swabs spiked with excess amounts of Escherichia coli , MSSA, and other mecA -positive bacteria within 4 h. Initial testing of 104 nasal swabs showed that the method had 100% agreement with the standard culture method, while the normal duplex qPCR method had only about 87.5% agreement. The single-bacterium duplex ddPCR assay is rapid and powerful for more accurate detection of MRSA directly from clinical specimens. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Microbiology.

  3. 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.

  4. A computational study of droplet evaporation with fuel vapor jet ejection induced by localized heat sources

    KAUST Repository

    Sim, Jaeheon; Im, Hong G.; Chung, Suk-Ho

    2015-01-01

    parametric study demonstrated that the Marangoni effect is indeed significant at realistic droplet combustion conditions, resulting in a higher evaporation constant. A modified Marangoni number was derived in order to represent the surface force

  5. The route of liquid precursor to ZnO nanoparticles in premixed combustion spray pyrolysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Widiyastuti, W.; Machmudah, Siti; Nurtono, Tantular; Winardi, Sugeng

    2018-04-01

    Zinc oxide nanoparticles had been successfully synthesized by premixed combustion spray pyrolysis. Zinc acetate was dissolved in distilled water was selected as a liquid precursor. Zinc nitrate was also used for comparison the effect of precursor type on the generated particles morphology and the crystallinity. The premixed combustion reaction used liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) mainly consisting of butane and propane as a fuel and compressed air used as an oxidizer. The liquid precursor was atomized using a custom two fluid nozzle to generate droplets. Then, the droplets were sprayed by the flow of air as a carrier gas into the premixed combustion reactor. The zinc precursor was decomposed to zinc oxide due to the high temperature as a result of combustion reaction inside the reactor resulting in nanoparticles formation. The particle size decreased with the increase of the fuel flow rate. In addition, it can be found that at the same flow rate of fuel, the particle size of zinc oxide synthesized using zinc nitrate is larger than that of the use of zinc acetate as a precursor.

  6. Hydrodynamics and PIV study in the impingement zone formed by a droplet train

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kanjirakat, Anoop; Sadr, Reza; Zhang, Taolue; Muthusamy, Jayaveera; Alvarado, Jorge; Texas A; M University at Qatar Collaboration; Texas A; M University College Station Collaboration

    2016-11-01

    Droplet impingement is encountered in numerous technical applications, such as ink jet printing, spray cooling, and fuel injection in internal combustion engines. Even though many studies in droplet impingement were conducted in past, not many have measured the near-wall velocities in the droplet impingement zone. With the goal of gaining a better understanding of the hydrodynamics in the impingement zone, well-controlled experiments are performed in combination with micro-PIV measurements and numerical simulations. Hydrodynamics of HFE-7100 droplets generated using a piezoelectric droplet generator, impinging on a pre-wetted surface is investigated. Micro-PIV studies in the high-velocity impingement zone are performed using one-micron meter fluorescent particles dispersed in HFE-7100 along with the double exposed images. Three-dimensional and 2D-axisymmetric numerical modeling for a transient droplet crown development is performed. The interface between the gas and the liquid is modeled using a Volume of Fluid (VOF) method. Numerical simulation results obtained are observed to be in good agreement with that of the experimental observations. Supported by National Priority Research Program (NPRP) of Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF), Grant No.: NPRP 6-1304-2-525.

  7. 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.

  8. 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.

  9. 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

  10. 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

  11. New approaches to the modelling of multi-component fuel droplet heating and evaporation

    KAUST Repository

    Sazhin, Sergei S

    2015-02-25

    The previously suggested quasi-discrete model for heating and evaporation of complex multi-component hydrocarbon fuel droplets is described. The dependence of density, viscosity, heat capacity and thermal conductivity of liquid components on carbon numbers n and temperatures is taken into account. The effects of temperature gradient and quasi-component diffusion inside droplets are taken into account. The analysis is based on the Effective Thermal Conductivity/Effective Diffusivity (ETC/ED) model. This model is applied to the analysis of Diesel and gasoline fuel droplet heating and evaporation. The components with relatively close n are replaced by quasi-components with properties calculated as average properties of the a priori defined groups of actual components. Thus the analysis of the heating and evaporation of droplets consisting of many components is replaced with the analysis of the heating and evaporation of droplets consisting of relatively few quasi-components. It is demonstrated that for Diesel and gasoline fuel droplets the predictions of the model based on five quasi-components are almost indistinguishable from the predictions of the model based on twenty quasi-components for Diesel fuel droplets and are very close to the predictions of the model based on thirteen quasi-components for gasoline fuel droplets. It is recommended that in the cases of both Diesel and gasoline spray combustion modelling, the analysis of droplet heating and evaporation is based on as little as five quasi-components.

  12. Partially premixed prevalorized kerosene spray combustion in turbulent flow

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chrigui, M.; Ahmadi, W.; Sadiki, A.; Janicka, J. [Institute for Energy and Powerplant Technology, TU Darmstadt, Petersenstr. 30, 64287 Darmstadt (Germany); Moesl, K. [Lehrstuhl fuer Thermodynamik, TU Muenchen, Boltzmannstr. 15, D-85747 Garching (Germany)

    2010-04-15

    A detailed numerical simulation of kerosene spray combustion was carried out on a partially premixed, prevaporized, three-dimensional configuration. The focus was on the flame temperature profile dependency on the length of the pre-vaporization zone. The results were analyzed and compared to experimental data. A fundamental study was performed to observe the temperature variation and flame flashback. Changes were made to the droplet diameter, kerosene flammability limits, a combustion model parameter and the location of the combustion initialization. Investigations were performed for atmospheric pressure, inlet air temperature of 90 C and a global equivalence ratio of 0.7. The simulations were carried out using the Eulerian Lagrangian procedure under a fully two-way coupling. The Bray-Moss-Libby model was adjusted to account for the partially premixed combustion. (author)

  13. The Evaporation of Liquid Droplets in Highly Turbulent Gas Streams

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Gould, Richard

    1998-01-01

    Single acetone and heptane droplets were suspended from a hypodermic needle in turbulent airflow, and the Nusselt number was obtained from direct measurements of the droplet diameter and evaporation rate...

  14. Fiscal 1997 report on the results of the R and D on the invention of high-level combustion technology using the microgravity environment; 1997 nendo seika hokokusho (bisho juryoku kankyo wo riyoshita kodo nensho gijutsu soshutsu ni kansuru kenkyu kaihatsu) seika hokokusho

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1998-03-01

    For the purpose of achieving both the diversification of energy resources and the reduction in environmental pollutants in fuel exhaust gases, the paper conducted elucidation of combustion phenomena using microgravity facilities and research on combustors which make high-level combustion possible. In the experimental study using microgravity experimental facilities, conducted were evaluation experiments on combustion/evaporation of fuel droplets and droplet groups, elucidation/evaluation experiments of combustion characteristics of high-density fuels, evaluation experiments of flammability limit, and elucidation/evaluation experiments of emission mechanisms of NOx, etc. Analysis/evaluation of the data obtained and elucidation of the combustion mechanism were conducted. Further, by applying the results of the microgravity experiment, the high-level combustor experimental facilities were fabricated, and validation tests were started. In the international joint research with US`s NASA, the following were conducted using JAMIC`s facilities and NASA`s 2.2 second drop tower: study of mutual interference of droplet series combustion, study of binary system fuel droplet series combustion, study of combustion characteristics of solid fuels, study of behavior of flames around the lean flammable limit, etc. 151 refs., 253 figs., 7 tabs.

  15. The influence of droplet evaporation on fuel-air mixing rate in a burner

    Science.gov (United States)

    Komiyama, K.; Flagan, R. C.; Heywood, J. B.

    1977-01-01

    Experiments involving combustion of a variety of hydrocarbon fuels in a simple atmospheric pressure burner were used to evaluate the role of droplet evaporation in the fuel/air mixing process in liquid fuel spray flames. Both air-assist atomization and pressure atomization processes were studied; fuel/air mixing rates were determined on the basis of cross-section average oxygen concentrations for stoichiometric overall operation. In general, it is concluded that droplets act as point sources of fuel vapor until evaporation, when the fuel jet length scale may become important in determining nonuniformities of the fuel vapor concentration. In addition, air-assist atomizers are found to have short droplet evaporation times with respect to the duration of the fuel/air mixing process, while for the pressure jet atomizer the characteristic evaporation and mixing times are similar.

  16. Conical Refraction Bottle Beams for Entrapment of Absorbing Droplets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Esseling, Michael; Alpmann, Christina; Schnelle, Jens; Meissner, Robert; Denz, Cornelia

    2018-03-22

    Conical refraction (CR) optical bottle beams for photophoretic trapping of airborne absorbing droplets are introduced and experimentally demonstrated. CR describes the circular split-up of unpolarised light propagating along an optical axis in a biaxial crystal. The diverging and converging cones lend themselves to the construction of optical bottle beams with flexible entry points. The interaction of single inkjet droplets with an open or partly open bottle beam is shown implementing high-speed video microscopy in a dual-view configuration. Perpendicular image planes are visualized on a single camera chip to characterize the integral three-dimensional movement dynamics of droplets. We demonstrate how a partly opened optical bottle transversely confines liquid objects. Furthermore we observe and analyse transverse oscillations of absorbing droplets as they hit the inner walls and simultaneously measure both transverse and axial velocity components.

  17. Transport of expiratory droplets in an aircraft cabin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gupta, Jitendra K; Lin, Chao-Hsin; Chen, Qingyan

    2011-02-01

    The droplets exhaled by an index patient with infectious disease such as influenza or tuberculosis may be the carriers of contagious agents. Indoor environments such as the airliner cabins may be susceptible to infection from such airborne contagious agents. The present investigation computed the transport of the droplets exhaled by the index patient seated in the middle of a seven-row, twin-aisle, fully occupied cabin using the CFD simulations. The droplets exhaled were from a single cough, a single breath, and a 15-s talk of the index patient. The expiratory droplets were tracked by using Lagrangian method, and their evaporation was modeled. It was found that the bulk airflow pattern in the cabin played the most important role on the droplet transport. The droplets were contained in the row before, at, and after the index patient within 30 s and dispersed uniformly to all the seven rows in 4 minutes. The total airborne droplet fraction reduced to 48, 32, 20, and 12% after they entered the cabin for 1, 2, 3, and 4 min, respectively, because of the ventilation from the environmental control system. It is critical to predict the risk of airborne infection to take appropriate measures to control and mitigate the risk. Most of the studies in past either assume a homogenous distribution of contaminants or use steady-state conditions. The present study instead provides information on the transient movement of the droplets exhaled by an index passenger in an aircraft cabin. These droplets may contain active contagious agents and can be potent enough to cause infection. The findings can be used by medical professionals to estimate the spatial and temporal distribution of risk of infection to various passengers in the cabin. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

  18. Framework for simulating droplet vaporization in turbulent flows

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palmore, John; Desjardins, Olivier

    2017-11-01

    A framework for performing direct numerical simulations of droplet vaporization is presented. The work is motivated by spray combustion in engines wherein fuel droplets vaporize in a turbulent gas flow. The framework is built into a conservative finite volume code for simulating low Mach number turbulent multiphase flows. Phase tracking is performed using a discretely conservative geometric volume of fluid method, while the transport of mass fraction and temperature is performed using the BQUICK scheme. Special attention is given to the implementation of transport equations near the interface to ensure the consistency between fluxes of mass, momentum, and scalars. The effect of evaporation on the flow appears as a system of coupled source terms which depend on the local thermodynamic equilibrium between the phases. The sources are implemented implicitly using an unconditionally stable, monotone scheme. Two methodologies for resolving the system's thermodynamic equilibrium are compared for their accuracy, robustness, and computational expense. Verification is performed by comparing results to known solutions in one and three dimensions. Finally, simulations of droplets vaporizing in turbulence are demonstrated, and trends for mass fraction and temperature fields are discussed.

  19. Preparation and nucleation of spherical metallic droplet

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bing-ge Zhao

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available The preparation and solidification of metallic droplets attract more and more attention for their significance in both engineering and scientific fields. In this paper, the preparation and characterization of Sn-based alloy droplets using different methods such as atomization and consumable electrode direct current arc (CDCA technique are reviewed. The morphology and structure of these droplets were determined by optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD and scanning electron microscopy (SEM. The solidification behavior of single droplet was systematically studied by means of scanning calorimetry (DSC, and the nucleation kinetics was also calculated. In particular, the development of fast scanning calorimetry (FSC made it possible to investigate the evolution of undercooling under ultrafast but controllable heating and cooling conditions. The combination of CDCA technique and FSC measurements opens up a new door for quantitative studies on droplet solidification, which is accessible to demonstrate some theories by experiments.

  20. Raman-Activated Droplet Sorting (RADS) for Label-Free High-Throughput Screening of Microalgal Single-Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Xixian; Ren, Lihui; Su, Yetian; Ji, Yuetong; Liu, Yaoping; Li, Chunyu; Li, Xunrong; Zhang, Yi; Wang, Wei; Hu, Qiang; Han, Danxiang; Xu, Jian; Ma, Bo

    2017-11-21

    Raman-activated cell sorting (RACS) has attracted increasing interest, yet throughput remains one major factor limiting its broader application. Here we present an integrated Raman-activated droplet sorting (RADS) microfluidic system for functional screening of live cells in a label-free and high-throughput manner, by employing AXT-synthetic industrial microalga Haematococcus pluvialis (H. pluvialis) as a model. Raman microspectroscopy analysis of individual cells is carried out prior to their microdroplet encapsulation, which is then directly coupled to DEP-based droplet sorting. To validate the system, H. pluvialis cells containing different levels of AXT were mixed and underwent RADS. Those AXT-hyperproducing cells were sorted with an accuracy of 98.3%, an enrichment ratio of eight folds, and a throughput of ∼260 cells/min. Of the RADS-sorted cells, 92.7% remained alive and able to proliferate, which is equivalent to the unsorted cells. Thus, the RADS achieves a much higher throughput than existing RACS systems, preserves the vitality of cells, and facilitates seamless coupling with downstream manipulations such as single-cell sequencing and cultivation.

  1. Spray structure of a pressure-swirl atomizer for combustion applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jicha Miroslav

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available In the present work, global as well as spatially resolved parameters of a spray produced by a pressure-swirl atomizer are obtained. Small pressure-swirl atomizer for aircraft combustion chambers was run on a newly designed test bench with Jet A-1 kerosene type aviation fuel. The atomizer was tested in four regimes based on typical operation conditions of the engine. Spray characteristics were studied using two optical measurement systems, Particle Image velocimetry (PIV and Phase-Doppler Particle Analyzer (P/DPA. The results obtained with P/DPA include information about Sauter Mean Diameter of droplets and spray velocity profiles in one plane perpendicular to the spray axis. Velocity magnitudes of droplets in an axial section of the spray were obtained using PIV. The experimental outputs also show a good confirmation of velocity profiles obtained with both instruments in the test plane. These data together will elucidate impact of the spray quality on the whole combustion process, its efficiency and exhaust gas emissions.

  2. Spray structure of a pressure-swirl atomizer for combustion applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Durdina, Lukas; Jedelsky, Jan; Jicha, Miroslav

    2012-04-01

    In the present work, global as well as spatially resolved parameters of a spray produced by a pressure-swirl atomizer are obtained. Small pressure-swirl atomizer for aircraft combustion chambers was run on a newly designed test bench with Jet A-1 kerosene type aviation fuel. The atomizer was tested in four regimes based on typical operation conditions of the engine. Spray characteristics were studied using two optical measurement systems, Particle Image velocimetry (PIV) and Phase-Doppler Particle Analyzer (P/DPA). The results obtained with P/DPA include information about Sauter Mean Diameter of droplets and spray velocity profiles in one plane perpendicular to the spray axis. Velocity magnitudes of droplets in an axial section of the spray were obtained using PIV. The experimental outputs also show a good confirmation of velocity profiles obtained with both instruments in the test plane. These data together will elucidate impact of the spray quality on the whole combustion process, its efficiency and exhaust gas emissions.

  3. Quantification of protein interaction kinetics in a micro droplet

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yin, L. L. [Center for Bioelectronics and Biosensors, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287 (United States); College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044 (China); Wang, S. P., E-mail: shaopeng.wang@asu.edu, E-mail: njtao@asu.edu; Shan, X. N.; Tao, N. J., E-mail: shaopeng.wang@asu.edu, E-mail: njtao@asu.edu [Center for Bioelectronics and Biosensors, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287 (United States); Zhang, S. T. [College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044 (China)

    2015-11-15

    Characterization of protein interactions is essential to the discovery of disease biomarkers, the development of diagnostic assays, and the screening for therapeutic drugs. Conventional flow-through kinetic measurements need relative large amount of sample that is not feasible for precious protein samples. We report a novel method to measure protein interaction kinetics in a single droplet with sub microliter or less volume. A droplet in a humidity-controlled environmental chamber is replacing the microfluidic channels as the reactor for the protein interaction. The binding process is monitored by a surface plasmon resonance imaging (SPRi) system. Association curves are obtained from the average SPR image intensity in the center area of the droplet. The washing step required by conventional flow-through SPR method is eliminated in the droplet method. The association and dissociation rate constants and binding affinity of an antigen-antibody interaction are obtained by global fitting of association curves at different concentrations. The result obtained by this method is accurate as validated by conventional flow-through SPR system. This droplet-based method not only allows kinetic studies for proteins with limited supply but also opens the door for high-throughput protein interaction study in a droplet-based microarray format that enables measurement of many to many interactions on a single chip.

  4. On the formulation and assessment of flamelet-generated manifolds applied to two-phase turbulent combustion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bojko, Brian T.

    Accounting for the effects of finite rate chemistry in reacting flows is intractable when considering the number of species and reactions to be solved for during a large scale flow simulation. This is especially complicated when solid/liquid fuels are also considered. While modeling the reacting boundary layer with the use of finite-rate chemistry may allow for a highly accurate description of the coupling between the flame and fuel surface, it is not tractable in large scale simulations when considering detailed chemical kinetics. It is the goal of this research to investigate a Flamelet-Generated Manifold (FGM) method in order to reduce the finite rate chemistry to a lookup table cataloged by progress variables and queried during runtime. In this study, simplified unsteady 1D flames with mass blowing are considered for a solid biomass fuel where the FGM method is employed as a model reduction strategy for potential application to multidimensional calculations. Two types of FGM are considered. The first are a set of steady-state flames differentiated by their scalar dissipation rate. Results show the use of steady flames produce unacceptable errors compared to the finite-rate chemistry solution, with temperature errors in excess of 45%. To avoid these errors, a new methodology for developing an unsteady FGM (UFGM) is presented that accounts for unsteady diffusion effects and greatly reduces errors in temperature with differences that are under 10%. The FGM modeling is then extended to individual droplet combustion with the development of a Droplet Flamelet-Generated Manifold (DFGM) to account for the effects of finite-rate chemistry of individual droplets. A spherically symmetric droplet model is developed for methanol and aluminum. The inclusion of finite-rate chemistry allows the capturing of the transition from diffusion to kinetically controlled combustion as the droplet diameter decreases. The droplet model is then used to create a DFGM by successively

  5. Droplet rotation model apply in steam uniform flow and gravitational field

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Jinyi; Bo Hanliang; Sun Yuliang; Wang Dazhong

    2012-01-01

    The mechanism droplet movement behavior and the qualitative description of droplet trajectory in the steam uniform flow field in the gravitational field were researched with droplet rotation model. According to the mechanism of gravitational field and uniform flow fields, the effects on droplets movement were analyzed and the importance of lift forces was also discussed. Finally, a general trajectory and mechanism of the droplets movement was derived which lays the groundwork for the qualitative analysis of the single-drop model and could be general enough to be used in many applications. (authors)

  6. 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)

  7. NOx formation from the combustion of monodisperse n-heptane sprays doped with fuel-nitrogen additives

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sarv, Hamid; Cernansky, Nicholas P.

    1989-01-01

    A series of experiments with simulated synthetic fuels were conducted in order to investigate the effect of droplet size on the conversion of fuel-nitrogen to NOx. Pyridine and pyrrole were added to n-heptane as nitrogen-containing additives and burned as monodisperse fuel droplets under various operating conditions in a spray combustion facility. The experimental results indicate that under stoichiometric and fuel-rich conditions, reducing the droplet size increases the efficiency of fuel-N conversion to NOx. This observation is associated with improved oxidation of the pyrolysis fragments of the additive by better oxygen penetration through the droplet flame zone. The dominant reactions by which fuel-N is transformed to NOx were also considered analytically by a premixed laminar flame code. The calculations are compared to the small droplet size results.

  8. Superheated fuel injection for combustion of liquid-solid slurries

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robben, F.A.

    1984-10-19

    A method and device are claimed for obtaining, upon injection, flash evaporation of a liquid in a slurry fuel to aid in ignition and combustion. The device is particularly beneficial for use of coal-water slurry fuels in internal combustion engines such as diesel engines and gas turbines, and in external combustion devices such as boilers and furnaces. The slurry fuel is heated under pressure to near critical temperature in an injector accumulator, where the pressure is sufficiently high to prevent boiling. After injection into a combustion chamber, the water temperature will be well above boiling point at a reduced pressure in the combustion chamber, and flash boiling will preferentially take place at solid-liquid surfaces, resulting in the shattering of water droplets and the subsequent separation of the water from coal particles. This prevents the agglomeration of the coal particles during the subsequent ignition and combustion process, and reduces the energy required to evaporate the water and to heat the coal particles to ignition temperature. The overall effect will be to accelerate the ignition and combustion rates, and to reduce the size of the ash particles formed from the coal. 2 figs., 2 tabs.

  9. The Influence Of Mass Fraction Of Dressed Coal On Ignition Conditions Of Composite Liquid Fuel Droplet

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shlegel Nikita E.

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The laws of condition modification of inert heat and ignition in an oxidant flow of composite liquid fuel droplet were studied by the developed experimental setup. Investigations were for composite liquid fuel composition based on the waste of bituminous and nonbaking coal processing, appropriate carbon dust, water, used motor oil. The characteristics of boundary layer inertia heat of composite liquid fuel droplet, thermal decomposition of coal organic part, the yield of volatiles and evaporation of liquid combustion component, ignition of the gas mixture and coke residue were defined.

  10. Turbulent mixing in three-dimensional droplet arrays

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zoby, M.R.G.; Navarro-Martinez, S.; Kronenburg, A.; Marquis, A.J.

    2011-01-01

    The atomisation, evaporation and subsequent mixing of fuel from a liquid spray determines the effectiveness of the combustion processes in gas turbines and internal combustion engines. In the present paper, three-dimensional direct numerical simulations (DNS) of the evaporation of methanol droplets in hot environments are presented. The gas phase mixing is assessed by examining the scalar dissipation and the mixture fraction probability density function (PDF). Novel multi-conditional models are proposed that use mixture fraction and structural parameters as the conditioning variables for the scalar dissipation which is found to be well predicted in terms of magnitude and distribution. The β-PDF description of the mixture fraction seems to capture well the global behaviour for a laminar environment and for time-averaged results in turbulent cases. A novel model for the mixture fraction PDF is also proposed based on the multi-conditional model for scalar dissipation and an accurate representation of the PDF is achieved.

  11. Experimental Investigation of the Effect of Biodiesel Blends on a DI Diesel Engine’s Injection and Combustion

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dimitrios N Tziourtzioumis

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Differences in the evolution of combustion in a single cylinder, DI (direct injection diesel engine fuelled by B20 were observed upon processing of the respective indicator diagrams. Aiming to further investigate the effects of biodiesel on the engine injection and combustion process, the injection characteristics of B0, B20, B40, B60, B80 and B100 were measured at low injection pressure and visualized at low and standard injection pressures. The fuel atomization characteristics were investigated in terms of mean droplet velocity, Sauter mean diameter, droplet velocity and diameter distributions by using a spray visualization system and Laser Doppler Velocimetry. The jet break-up characteristics are mainly influenced by the Weber number, which is lower for biodiesel, mainly due to its higher surface tension. Thus, Sauter mean diameter (SMD of sprays with biodiesel blended-fuel is higher. Volume mean diameter (VMD and arithmetic mean diameter (AMD values also increase with blending ratio. Kinematic viscosity and surface tension become higher as the biodiesel blending ratio increases. The SMD, VMD and AMD of diesel and biodiesel blended fuels decreased with an increase in the axial distance from spray tip. Comparison of estimated fuel burning rates for 60,000 droplets’ samples points to a decrease in mean fuel burning rate for B20 and higher blends.

  12. Workshop day on ``films and droplets heat transport``; Journee d`etude sur ``le transport de chaleur par films ou gouttelettes``

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1996-12-31

    This workshop day was organized by the French society of thermal engineers (SFT). This compilation of proceedings comprises 9 papers dealing with: the effect of droplets evaporation on a poly-dispersed jet under pressure (application to combustion chambers of diesel engines); effect of two-phase heat exchanges on the performances of a piston engine; heat and mass transfers in the entering region of a laminar liquid film; mass transfer at the interface of a free or sheared turbulent film; measurement of gasoline films thickness using laser induced fluorescence - evaluation of the evaporation quickness using several tracers (application to the intake manifold of port-injected and of indirect injection spark ignition engines); heat transfers and condensation inside ducts for the evacuation of combustion products; evaporation of a climbing film on a wall with discontinuous fins (application to the ebullition in heat exchangers); temperature measurement of droplets in a mono-dispersed jet using IR technique and refractometry; influence of homogeneous and isotropic turbulence on the vaporization of fuel droplets. (J.S.)

  13. Workshop day on ``films and droplets heat transport``; Journee d`etude sur ``le transport de chaleur par films ou gouttelettes``

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1997-12-31

    This workshop day was organized by the French society of thermal engineers (SFT). This compilation of proceedings comprises 9 papers dealing with: the effect of droplets evaporation on a poly-dispersed jet under pressure (application to combustion chambers of diesel engines); effect of two-phase heat exchanges on the performances of a piston engine; heat and mass transfers in the entering region of a laminar liquid film; mass transfer at the interface of a free or sheared turbulent film; measurement of gasoline films thickness using laser induced fluorescence - evaluation of the evaporation quickness using several tracers (application to the intake manifold of port-injected and of indirect injection spark ignition engines); heat transfers and condensation inside ducts for the evacuation of combustion products; evaporation of a climbing film on a wall with discontinuous fins (application to the ebullition in heat exchangers); temperature measurement of droplets in a mono-dispersed jet using IR technique and refractometry; influence of homogeneous and isotropic turbulence on the vaporization of fuel droplets. (J.S.)

  14. Shape-Shifting Droplet Networks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, T; Wan, Duanduan; Schwarz, J M; Bowick, M J

    2016-03-11

    We consider a three-dimensional network of aqueous droplets joined by single lipid bilayers to form a cohesive, tissuelike material. The droplets in these networks can be programed to have distinct osmolarities so that osmotic gradients generate internal stresses via local fluid flows to cause the network to change shape. We discover, using molecular dynamics simulations, a reversible folding-unfolding process by adding an osmotic interaction with the surrounding environment which necessarily evolves dynamically as the shape of the network changes. This discovery is the next important step towards osmotic robotics in this system. We also explore analytically and numerically how the networks become faceted via buckling and how quasi-one-dimensional networks become three dimensional.

  15. Study on HCl Driving Force for the Reaction of NaCl-Maleic Acid Mixing Single Droplet Using Micro-FTIR Spectroscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, Xiang; Zhang, Yunhong

    2016-04-01

    Chemical aging is the one of the most important physicochemical process in atmospheric aerosols. Mixing of sea salt and water-soluble organic components has profound effects on the volatile characteristic and evolving chemical composition of the anthropogenic origin aerosols, which are poorly understood. In this study, the chemical reaction behavior of the mixture of NaCl and maleic acid (H2MA) micron-level single droplet was investigated using a gas-flow system combined with microscopic Fourier transform infrared (micro-FTIR) spectrometer over the range of relative humidity (63˜95% RH) for the first time. The results showed that the mixture of NaCl and H2MA single droplet could react to form monosodium maleate salt (NaHMA) at the constant RH from the characterization of the FTIR. The reaction is a result of an acid displacement reaction R1, which is driven by high volatility of the HCl product. NaCl(aq)+H2MA(aq)=NaHMA(aq)+HCl(aq,g) (R1) According to the change tendency of the absorbance values of 1579 cm-1 COO- stretching band of the NaHMA dependent upon reaction times at different RHs, the growth range of the trend which could lead to the faster reaction rate was obvious at lower RH. The water content of the droplet was also more likely to reduce rapidly with the loss of the RH from the absorbance changes of 3400 cm-1H2O stretching band dependent upon reaction times. These may be due to irreversible evaporation of HCl gas which is the main driving force for this type of reaction and the NaHMA is a less hygroscopic component compared to H2MA. And the HCl gas is more likely to evaporate faster from the single droplet and promote the reaction rate and the consumption of water content at lower RH. These results could help in understanding the chemical conversion processes of water-soluble dicarboxylic acids to dicarboxylate salts, as well as the consumption of Cl in sea salt aerosols by organic acids in the atmosphere.

  16. A computational study of droplet evaporation with fuel vapor jet ejection induced by localized heat sources

    KAUST Repository

    Sim, Jaeheon

    2015-05-12

    Droplet evaporation by a localized heat source under microgravity conditions was numerically investigated in an attempt to understand the mechanism of the fuel vapor jet ejection, which was observed experimentally during the flame spread through a droplet array. An Eulerian-Lagrangian method was implemented with a temperature-dependent surface tension model and a local phase change model in order to effectively capture the interfacial dynamics between liquid droplet and surrounding air. It was found that the surface tension gradient caused by the temperature variation within the droplet creates a thermo-capillary effect, known as the Marangoni effect, creating an internal flow circulation and outer shear flow which drives the fuel vapor into a tail jet. A parametric study demonstrated that the Marangoni effect is indeed significant at realistic droplet combustion conditions, resulting in a higher evaporation constant. A modified Marangoni number was derived in order to represent the surface force characteristics. The results at different pressure conditions indicated that the nonmonotonic response of the evaporation rate to pressure may also be attributed to the Marangoni effect.

  17. 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.

  18. Numerical modeling of turbulent evaporating gas-droplet two-phase flows in an afterburner diffusor of turbo-fan jet engines

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhou, Lixing; Zhang, Jian [Qinghua Univ., Beijing (China)

    1990-11-01

    Two-dimensional turbulent evaporating gas-droplet two-phase flows in an afterburner diffusor of turbofan jet engines are simulated here by a k-epsilon turbulence model and a particle trajectory model. Comparison of predicted gas velocity and temperature distributions with experimental results for the cases without liquid spray shows good agreement. Gas-droplet two-phase flow predictions give plausible droplet trajectories, fuel-vapor concentration distribution, gas-phase velocity and temperature field in the presence of liquid droplets. One run of computation with this method is made for a particular afterburner. The results indicate that the location of the atomizers is not favorable to flame stabilization and combustion efficiency. The proposed numerical modeling can also be adopted for optimization design and performance evaluation of afterburner combustors of turbofan jet engines. 7 refs.

  19. Study of combustion in microgravity environments and application of the findings to combustors for industrial use; Bisho juryoku kankyoka ni okeru nensho kenkyu oyobi sangyoyo nensho kiki eno oyo

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sato, J. [Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Co. Ltd., Tokyo (Japan)

    1997-09-10

    Natural convection is one of the factors that make the elucidation of the combustion phenomenon difficult. Such being the case, it is necessary to utilize microgravity enviroments to learn fuel combustion characteristics and parameters governing the combustion phenomenon for the development of optimal burning appliances. The free-fall facility of JAMIC (Japan Micro Gravity Center) creates a microgravity field that lasts for 10 seconds, and helps perform various combustion-related researches. This report outlines the findings obtained thanks to the use of this facility. In a `study concerning the creation of sophisticated combustion technology,` the combustion of 50{mu}m fuel droplets (too small to involve natural convetion) in a jet engine combustor is simulated in a microgravity field using experimentally producible 1mm drops, and the relationship between the droplet burn time and pressure is disclosed. In addition, using a small combustion furnace, the behavior of a natural-size flame is estimated and the propagation speed of a carbon powder flame is studied. 6 figs.

  20. Evaporation and Ignition Characteristics of Water Emulsified Diesel under Conventional and Low Temperature Combustion Conditions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhaowen Wang

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available The combination of emulsified diesel and low temperature combustion (LTC technology has great potential in reducing engine emissions. A visualization study on the spray and combustion characteristics of water emulsified diesel was conducted experimentally in a constant volume chamber under conventional and LTC conditions. The effects of ambient temperature on the evaporation, ignition and combustion characteristics of water emulsified diesel were studied under cold, evaporating and combustion conditions. Experimental results showed that the ambient temperature had little effect on the spray structures, in terms of the liquid core length, the spray shape and the spray area. However, higher ambient temperature slightly reduced the Sauter Mean Diameter (SMD of the spray droplets. The auto-ignition delay time increased significantly with the decrease of the ambient temperature. The ignition process always occurred at the entrainment region near the front periphery of the liquid core. This entrainment region was evolved from the early injected fuel droplets which were heated and mixed by the continuous entrainment until the local temperature and equivalence ratio reached the ignition condition. The maximum value of integrated natural flame luminosity (INFL reduced by 60% when the ambient temperature dropped from 1000 to 800 K, indicating a significant decrease of the soot emissions could be achieved by LTC combustion mode than the conventional diesel engines.

  1. 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

  2. Fiscal 1998 research report. R and D on advanced combustion technology under microgravity environment; 1998 nendo seika hokokusho. Bisho juryoku kankyo wo riyoshita kodo nensho gijutsu soshutsu ni kansuru kenkyu kaihatsu

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1999-03-01

    Research was made on explication of a combustion phenomenon by using a microgravity facility, and a combustor possible to realize advanced combustion technology. In the basic research composed of 5 themes by the international joint research with NASA, 52 drop experiments using JAMIC's facility and 100 drop experiments using NASA's 2.2s drop tower were carried out. The themes are composed of an interaction in droplet arrays combustion, combustion of binary fuel sprays, combustion characteristics of solid fuel, flame dynamics around a lean flammability limit, and mass transfer around a combustion field. In the experiment using the microgravity experiment facility and analysis evaluation of the experimental data, studies were made on combustion and evaporation of fuel droplets, combustion characteristics of dense fuel, flammability limit, formation mechanism of NO{sub x} and an advanced combustor. For applying a pre-evaporating/pre- mixing combustion system to a combustor for aircraft engines, studies were made on some issues such as improvement of a combustion stability, NO{sub x} discharge characteristics, and optimum fuel atomizing. (NEDO)

  3. Fiscal 1998 research report. R and D on advanced combustion technology under microgravity environment; 1998 nendo seika hokokusho. Bisho juryoku kankyo wo riyoshita kodo nensho gijutsu soshutsu ni kansuru kenkyu kaihatsu

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1999-03-01

    Research was made on explication of a combustion phenomenon by using a microgravity facility, and a combustor possible to realize advanced combustion technology. In the basic research composed of 5 themes by the international joint research with NASA, 52 drop experiments using JAMIC's facility and 100 drop experiments using NASA's 2.2s drop tower were carried out. The themes are composed of an interaction in droplet arrays combustion, combustion of binary fuel sprays, combustion characteristics of solid fuel, flame dynamics around a lean flammability limit, and mass transfer around a combustion field. In the experiment using the microgravity experiment facility and analysis evaluation of the experimental data, studies were made on combustion and evaporation of fuel droplets, combustion characteristics of dense fuel, flammability limit, formation mechanism of NO{sub x} and an advanced combustor. For applying a pre-evaporating/pre- mixing combustion system to a combustor for aircraft engines, studies were made on some issues such as improvement of a combustion stability, NO{sub x} discharge characteristics, and optimum fuel atomizing. (NEDO)

  4. 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....

  5. Physical properties, evaporation and combustion characteristics of nanofluid-type fuels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tanvir, Saad

    existing literature. Additionally, a droplet collision experiment was developed to understand the collision characteristics of nanofluids fuels, especially the effect of particle addition on collision regimes. It was found that as particle concentration increases, coalescence was seen over a wider the range of Webber numbers and collision parameters as compared to pure liquids. Enhancement in surface tension at room temperature conditions is hypothesized to be the main factor causing this shift. A primary goal of this study is to understand how particle addition impacts the combustion behavior of liquid fuels. A droplet stream flame was used to measure the burning rate of ethanol droplets with the addition of aluminum (80nm) and graphite nanoparticles (50nm and 100nm). Results indicate that as particle concentration is increased, the burning rate of the resulting nanofluid droplet also increases. The maximum enhancement of 140 % was observed with the addition of 3 wt.% 80nm aluminum nanoparticles. The burning rate enhancement is mainly attributed to the strong radiation absorption by the nanofluid fuels from the flame. Computational models were developed to determine the ratio of radiation retention by the entire depth of the fluid (volumetric absorptivity) using optical properties of both the particles and the fluid. Furthermore, the penetration of radiation within the nanofluid was quantified using the well-known Monte Carlo algorithm. Results indicate that radiation absorption by the hybrid droplet does play a role in the enhancement of burning rate. More importantly, the absorption is not uniform within the hybrid droplet. It is localized in the region near the droplet surface, promoting localized boiling. This mechanism is believed to be responsible for the observed increase in burning rate. An experimental as well as numerical investigation on the evaporation characteristics of nanofluid fuels was conducted. The present study aims to determine the contribution of

  6. Analytical detection techniques for droplet microfluidics—A review

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhu, Ying; Fang, Qun

    2013-01-01

    Graphical abstract: -- Highlights: •This is the first review paper focused on the analytical techniques for droplet-based microfluidics. •We summarized the analytical methods used in droplet-based microfluidic systems. •We discussed the advantage and disadvantage of each method through its application. •We also discuss the future development direction of analytical methods for droplet-based microfluidic systems. -- Abstract: In the last decade, droplet-based microfluidics has undergone rapid progress in the fields of single-cell analysis, digital PCR, protein crystallization and high throughput screening. It has been proved to be a promising platform for performing chemical and biological experiments with ultra-small volumes (picoliter to nanoliter) and ultra-high throughput. The ability to analyze the content in droplet qualitatively and quantitatively is playing an increasing role in the development and application of droplet-based microfluidic systems. In this review, we summarized the analytical detection techniques used in droplet systems and discussed the advantage and disadvantage of each technique through its application. The analytical techniques mentioned in this paper include bright-field microscopy, fluorescence microscopy, laser induced fluorescence, Raman spectroscopy, electrochemistry, capillary electrophoresis, mass spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, absorption detection, chemiluminescence, and sample pretreatment techniques. The importance of analytical detection techniques in enabling new applications is highlighted. We also discuss the future development direction of analytical detection techniques for droplet-based microfluidic systems

  7. 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

  8. Infrared spectroscopy of the ν3 band of C3 in helium droplets

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Barbara A. Harruff-Miller

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available The C3 molecule is an important species known to participate in key chemical reactions in combustion and astrochemistry. Its occurrence in environments of interest, its intramolecular physics, and its intermolecular reactivity have been areas of extensive and ongoing study. Much of the interest in C3 is related to investigating its interactions with other species relevant to combustion processes or astrochemistry. Helium droplet methods offer a promising route to assemble and study a wide variety of novel complexes, clusters, and adducts made from C3. Here we report the results of our recent efforts to dope cold helium droplets with C3 molecules and record the rotationally-resolved infrared spectrum of the embedded C3. The spectrum consists of P(2, R(0, and R(2 lines well-described by a linear rotor Hamiltonian with ν0 = 2039.09(2 cm-1, B = 0.204(5 cm-1, and T = 0.37 K. The B rotational constant of the C3 molecule is found to be reduced from its gas-phase value by a factor of 2.1 due to rotational following by the helium solvent.

  9. 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.

  10. Transient Droplet Behavior and Droplet Breakup during Bulk and Confined Shear Flow in Blends with One Viscoelastic Component: Experiments, Modelling and Simulations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cardinaels, Ruth; Verhulst, Kristof; Renardy, Yuriko; Moldenaers, Paula

    2008-07-01

    The transient droplet deformation and droplet orientation after inception of shear, the shape relaxation after cessation of shear and droplet breakup during shear, are microscopically studied, both under bulk and confined conditions. The studied blends contain one viscoelastic Boger fluid phase. A counter rotating setup, based on a Paar Physica MCR300, is used for the droplet visualisation. For bulk shear flow, it is shown that the droplet deformation during startup of shear flow and the shape relaxation after cessation of shear flow are hardly influenced by droplet viscoelasticity, even at moderate to high capillary and Deborah numbers. The effects of droplet viscoelasticity only become visible close to the critical conditions and a novel break-up mechanism is observed. Matrix viscoelasticity has a more pronounced effect, causing overshoots in the deformation and significantly inhibiting relaxation. However, different applied capillary numbers prior to cessation of shear flow, with the Deborah number fixed, still result in a single master curve for shape retraction, as in fully Newtonian systems. The long tail in the droplet relaxation can be qualitatively described with a phenomenological model for droplet deformation, when using a 5-mode Giesekus model for the fluid rheology. It is found that the shear flow history significantly affects the droplet shape evolution and the breakup process in blends with one viscoelastic component. Confining a droplet between two plates accelerates the droplet deformation kinetics, similar to fully Newtonian systems. However, the increased droplet deformation, due to wall effects, causes the steady state to be reached at a later instant in time. Droplet relaxation is less sensitive to confinement, leading to slower relaxation kinetics only for highly confined droplets. For the blend with a viscoelastic droplet, a non-monotonous trend is found for the critical capillary number as a function of the confinement ratio. Finally

  11. Transient Droplet Behavior and Droplet Breakup during Bulk and Confined Shear Flow in Blends with One Viscoelastic Component: Experiments, Modelling and Simulations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cardinaels, Ruth; Verhulst, Kristof; Moldenaers, Paula; Renardy, Yuriko

    2008-01-01

    The transient droplet deformation and droplet orientation after inception of shear, the shape relaxation after cessation of shear and droplet breakup during shear, are microscopically studied, both under bulk and confined conditions. The studied blends contain one viscoelastic Boger fluid phase. A counter rotating setup, based on a Paar Physica MCR300, is used for the droplet visualisation. For bulk shear flow, it is shown that the droplet deformation during startup of shear flow and the shape relaxation after cessation of shear flow are hardly influenced by droplet viscoelasticity, even at moderate to high capillary and Deborah numbers. The effects of droplet viscoelasticity only become visible close to the critical conditions and a novel break-up mechanism is observed. Matrix viscoelasticity has a more pronounced effect, causing overshoots in the deformation and significantly inhibiting relaxation. However, different applied capillary numbers prior to cessation of shear flow, with the Deborah number fixed, still result in a single master curve for shape retraction, as in fully Newtonian systems. The long tail in the droplet relaxation can be qualitatively described with a phenomenological model for droplet deformation, when using a 5-mode Giesekus model for the fluid rheology. It is found that the shear flow history significantly affects the droplet shape evolution and the breakup process in blends with one viscoelastic component. Confining a droplet between two plates accelerates the droplet deformation kinetics, similar to fully Newtonian systems. However, the increased droplet deformation, due to wall effects, causes the steady state to be reached at a later instant in time. Droplet relaxation is less sensitive to confinement, leading to slower relaxation kinetics only for highly confined droplets. For the blend with a viscoelastic droplet, a non-monotonous trend is found for the critical capillary number as a function of the confinement ratio. Finally

  12. Thin-film morphology of inkjet-printed single-droplet organic transistors using polarized Raman spectroscopy: effect of blending TIPS-pentacene with insulating polymer

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    James, D.T.; Kjellander, B.K.C.; Smaal, W.T.T.; Gelinck, G.H.; Combe, C.; McCulloch, I.; Wilson, R.; Burroughes, J.H.; Bradley, D.D.C.; Kim, J.S.

    2011-01-01

    We report thin-film morphology studies of inkjet-printed single-droplet organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) using angle-dependent polarized Raman spectroscopy. We show this to be an effective technique to determine the degree of molecular order as well as to spatially resolve the orientation of

  13. 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.

  14. Cooperative Research Projects in the Microgravity Combustion Science Programs Sponsored by NASA and NEDO

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ross, Howard (Compiler)

    2000-01-01

    This document contains the results of a collection of selected cooperative research projects between principal investigators in the microgravity combustion science programs, sponsored by NASA and NEDO. Cooperation involved the use of drop towers in Japan and the United States, and the sharing of subsequent research data and findings. The topical areas include: (1) Interacting droplet arrays, (2) high pressure binary fuel sprays, (3) sooting droplet combustion, (4) flammability limits and dynamics of spherical, premixed gaseous flames and, (5) ignition and transition of flame spread across thin solid fuel samples. All of the investigators view this collaboration as a success. Novel flame behaviors were found and later published in archival journals. In some cases the experiments provided verification of the design and behavior in subsequent experiments performed on the Space Shuttle. In other cases, the experiments provided guidance to experiments that are expected to be performed on the International Space Station.

  15. Effect of droplet size on the droplet behavior on the heterogeneous surface

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Choi, Ho Yeon; Son, Sung Wan; Ha, ManYeong [Pusan National University, Busan (Korea, Republic of); Park, Yong Gap [Pusan National University, Busan (Korea, Republic of)

    2017-06-15

    The characteristics of a three-dimensional hemispherical droplet on a heterogeneous surface were studied using the Lattice Boltzmann method (LBM). The hydrophilic surface has a hydrophobic part at the center. The hemispherical droplets are located at the center of the heterogeneous surface. According to the contact angles of hydrophilic and hydrophobic bottom surfaces, the droplet either separates or reaches a new equilibrium state. The separation time varies according to the change in droplet size, and it affects the status of droplet separation. The droplet separation behavior was investigated by analyzing the velocity vector around the phase boundary line. The shape and separation time of a droplet are determined by the contact angle of each surface. The speed of droplet separation increases as the difference in contact angle increases between the hydrophobic surface and hydrophilic surface. The separation status and the separation time of a droplet are also determined by the change of the droplet size. As the size of the droplet decreases, the effect of surface tension decreases, and the separation time of the droplet also decreases. On the other hand, as the droplet becomes larger, the effect of surface tension increases and the time required for the droplet to separate also increases.

  16. Ammonia Released by Streptomyces aburaviensis Induces Droplet Formation in Streptomyces violaceoruber.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schmidt, Kathrin; Spiteller, Dieter

    2017-08-01

    Streptomyces violaceoruber grown in co-culture with Streptomyces aburaviensis produces an about 17-fold higher volume of droplets on its aerial mycelium than in single-culture. Physical separation of the Streptomyces strains by either a plastic barrier or by a dialysis membrane, which allowed communication only by the exchange of volatile compounds or diffusible compounds in the medium, respectively, still resulted in enhanced droplet formation. The application of molecular sieves to bioassays resulted in the attenuation of the droplet-inducing effect of S. aburaviensis indicating the absorption of the compound. 1 H-NMR analysis of molecular-sieve extracts and the selective indophenol-blue reaction revealed that the volatile droplet-inducing compound is ammonia. The external supply of ammonia in biologically relevant concentrations of ≥8 mM enhanced droplet formation in S. violaceoruber in a similar way to S. aburaviensis. Ammonia appears to trigger droplet production in many Streptomyces strains because four out of six Streptomyces strains exposed to ammonia exhibited induced droplet production.

  17. Numerical Simulations of Two-Phase Reacting Flow in a Single-Element Lean Direct Injection (LDI) Combustor Using NCC

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Nan-Suey; Shih, Tsan-Hsing; Wey, C. Thomas

    2011-01-01

    A series of numerical simulations of Jet-A spray reacting flow in a single-element lean direct injection (LDI) combustor have been conducted by using the National Combustion Code (NCC). The simulations have been carried out using the time filtered Navier-Stokes (TFNS) approach ranging from the steady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS), unsteady RANS (URANS), to the dynamic flow structure simulation (DFS). The sub-grid model employed for turbulent mixing and combustion includes the well-mixed model, the linear eddy mixing (LEM) model, and the filtered mass density function (FDF/PDF) model. The starting condition of the injected liquid spray is specified via empirical droplet size correlation, and a five-species single-step global reduced mechanism is employed for fuel chemistry. All the calculations use the same grid whose resolution is of the RANS type. Comparisons of results from various models are presented.

  18. The influence of transport phenomena on the fluidized bed combustion of a single carbon particle

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Prins, W.; van Swaaij, Willibrordus Petrus Maria

    1990-01-01

    The burning rate and temperature of the carbon particles are known to affect the efficiency of a fluidized bed combustor, and also the emission levels of undesired noxious components. The main results of an extensive study on the fluidized bed combustion behaviour of a single carbon particle [1] are

  19. Cyclic variations of fuel-droplet distribution during the early intake stroke of a lean-burn stratified-charge spark-ignition engine

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Aleiferis, P.G. [Imperial College London, Department of Mechanical Engineering, London (United Kingdom); University College London, Department of Mechanical Engineering, London (United Kingdom); Hardalupas, Y.; Taylor, A.M.K.P. [Imperial College London, Department of Mechanical Engineering, London (United Kingdom); Ishii, K. [Honda International Technical School, Saitama (Japan); Urata, Y. [Tochigi R and D Centre, Honda R and D Co., Ltd, Tochigi (Japan)

    2005-11-01

    Lean-burn spark-ignition engines exhibit higher efficiency and lower specific emissions in comparison with stoichiometrically charged engines. However, as the air-to-fuel (A/F) ratio of the mixture is made leaner than stoichiometric, cycle-by-cycle variations in the early stages of in-cylinder combustion, and subsequent indicated mean effective pressure (IMEP), become more pronounced and limit the range of lean-burn operation. Viable lean-burn engines promote charge stratification, the mixture near the spark plug being richer than the cylinder volume averaged value. Recent work has shown that cycle-by-cycle variations in the early stages of combustion in a stratified-charge engine can be associated with variations in both the local value of A/F ratio near the spark plug around ignition timing, as well as in the volume averaged value of the A/F ratio. The objective of the current work was to identify possible sources of such variability in A/F ratio by studying the in-cylinder field of fuel-droplet distribution during the early intake stroke. This field was visualised in an optical single-cylinder 4-valve pentroof-type spark-ignition engine by means of laser-sheet illumination in planes parallel to the cylinder head gasket 6 and 10 mm below the spark plug. The engine was run with port-injected isooctane at 1500 rpm with 30% volumetric efficiency and air-to-fuel ratio corresponding to both stoichiometric firing (A/F=15, {phi} =1.0) and mixture strength close to the lean limit of stable operation (A/F=22, {phi} =0.68). Images of Mie intensity scattered by the cloud of fuel droplets were acquired on a cycle-by-cycle basis. These were studied in order to establish possible correlations between the cyclic variations in size, location and scattered-light intensity of the cloud of droplets with the respective variations in IMEP. Because of the low level of Mie intensity scattered by the droplets and because of problems related to elastic scattering on the walls of the

  20. Droplet size effects on film drainage between droplet and substrate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Steinhaus, Benjamin; Spicer, Patrick T; Shen, Amy Q

    2006-06-06

    When a droplet approaches a solid surface, the thin liquid film between the droplet and the surface drains until an instability forms and then ruptures. In this study, we utilize microfluidics to investigate the effects of film thickness on the time to film rupture for water droplets in a flowing continuous phase of silicone oil deposited on solid poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) surfaces. The water droplets ranged in size from millimeters to micrometers, resulting in estimated values of the film thickness at rupture ranging from 600 nm down to 6 nm. The Stefan-Reynolds equation is used to model film drainage beneath both millimeter- and micrometer-scale droplets. For millimeter-scale droplets, the experimental and analytical film rupture times agree well, whereas large differences are observed for micrometer-scale droplets. We speculate that the differences in the micrometer-scale data result from the increases in the local thin film viscosity due to confinement-induced molecular structure changes in the silicone oil. A modified Stefan-Reynolds equation is used to account for the increased thin film viscosity of the micrometer-scale droplet drainage case.

  1. Bursting Bubbles from Combustion of Thermoplastic Materials in Microgravity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Butler, K. B.

    1999-01-01

    Many thermoplastic materials in common use for a wide range of applications, including spacecraft, develop bubbles internally as they burn due to chemical reactions taking place within the bulk. These bubbles grow and migrate until they burst at the surface, forceably ejecting volatile gases and, occasionally, molten fuel. In experiments in normal gravity, Kashiwagi and Ohlemiller observed vapor jets extending a few centimeters from the surface of a radiatively heated polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) sample, with some molten material ejected into the gas phase. These physical phenomena complicated the combustion process considerably. In addition to the non-steady release of volatiles, the depth of the surface layer affected by oxygen was increased, attributed to the roughening of the surface by bursting events. The ejection of burning droplets in random directions presents a potential fire hazard unique to microgravity. In microgravity combustion experiments on nylon Velcro fasteners and on polyethylene wire insulation, the presence of bursting fuel vapor bubbles was associated with the ejection of small particles of molten fuel as well as pulsations of the flame. For the nylon fasteners, particle velocities were higher than 30 cm/sec. The droplets burned robustly until all fuel was consumed, demonstrating the potential for the spread of fire in random directions over an extended distance. The sequence of events for a bursting bubble has been photographed by Newitt et al.. As the bubble reaches the fluid surface, the outer surface forms a dome while the internal bubble pressure maintains a depression at the inner interface. Liquid drains from the dome until it breaks into a cloud of droplets on the order of a few microns in size. The bubble gases are released rapidly, generating vortices in the quiescent surroundings and transporting the tiny droplets. The depression left by the escaping gases collapses into a central jet, which rises with a high velocity and may

  2. Investigation on Shock Induced Stripping Breakup Process of A Liquid Droplet

    KAUST Repository

    Liu, Yao

    2017-03-02

    Stripping breakup process of a single liquid droplet under the impact of a planar shock wave is investigated both experimentally and numerically. The droplet breakup experiment is conducted in a horizontal shock tube and the evolution of the droplet is recorded by direct high-speed photography. The experimental images clearly illustrate the droplet interface evolution features from its early to relatively late stage. Compressible Euler equations are solved using an in-house inviscid upwind characteristic space-time conservation element and solution element (CE/SE) method coupled with the HLLC approximate Riemann solver. A reduced five-equation model is employed to demonstrate the air/liquid interface. Numerical results accurately reproduce the water column and axi-symmetric water droplet breakup processes in experiments. The present study confirms the validity of the present numerical method in solving the shock wave induced droplet breakup problem and elaborates the stripping breakup process numerically in a long period. Droplet inner flow pattern is depicted, based on which the drives of protrusions emerged on the droplet surface are clearly seen. The droplet deformation is proved to be determined by not only the outer air flow, but also the inner liquid flow.

  3. Investigation on Shock Induced Stripping Breakup Process of A Liquid Droplet

    KAUST Repository

    Liu, Yao; Wen, Chihyung; Shen, Hua; Guan, Ben

    2017-01-01

    Stripping breakup process of a single liquid droplet under the impact of a planar shock wave is investigated both experimentally and numerically. The droplet breakup experiment is conducted in a horizontal shock tube and the evolution of the droplet is recorded by direct high-speed photography. The experimental images clearly illustrate the droplet interface evolution features from its early to relatively late stage. Compressible Euler equations are solved using an in-house inviscid upwind characteristic space-time conservation element and solution element (CE/SE) method coupled with the HLLC approximate Riemann solver. A reduced five-equation model is employed to demonstrate the air/liquid interface. Numerical results accurately reproduce the water column and axi-symmetric water droplet breakup processes in experiments. The present study confirms the validity of the present numerical method in solving the shock wave induced droplet breakup problem and elaborates the stripping breakup process numerically in a long period. Droplet inner flow pattern is depicted, based on which the drives of protrusions emerged on the droplet surface are clearly seen. The droplet deformation is proved to be determined by not only the outer air flow, but also the inner liquid flow.

  4. 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.

  5. 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...

  6. 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.

  7. 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-...

  8. Gas dynamic virtual nozzle for generation of microscopic droplet streams

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    DePonte, D P; Weierstall, U; Schmidt, K; Warner, J; Starodub, D; Spence, J C H; Doak, R B [Department of Physics, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-1504 (United States)], E-mail: dandeponte@gmail.com

    2008-10-07

    As shown by Ganan-Calvo (1998 Phys. Rev. Lett. 80 285-8), a free liquid jet can be compressed in diameter through gas dynamic forces exerted by a coaxially co-flowing gas, obviating the need for a solid nozzle to form a microscopic liquid jet and thereby alleviating the clogging problems that plague conventional droplet sources of small diameter. We describe in this paper a novel form of droplet beam source based on this principle. The source is miniature, robust, dependable, easily fabricated, essentially immune to clogging and eminently suitable for delivery of microscopic liquid droplets, including hydrated biological samples, into vacuum for analysis using vacuum instrumentation. Monodisperse, single-file droplet streams are generated by triggering the device with a piezoelectric actuator.

  9. Syrlic: a Lagrangian code to handle industrial problems involving particles and droplets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peniguel, C.

    1997-01-01

    Numerous industrial applications require to solve droplets or solid particles trajectories and their effects on the flow. (fuel injection in combustion engine, agricultural spraying, spray drying, spray cooling, spray painting, particles separator, dispersion of pollutant, etc). SYRLIC is being developed to handle the dispersed phase while the continuous phase is tackled by classical Eulerian codes like N3S-EF, N3S-NATUR, ESTET. The trajectory of each droplet is calculated on unstructured grids or structured grids according the Eulerian code with SYRLIC is coupled. The forces applied to each particle are recalculated along each path. The Lagrangian approach treats the convection and the source terms exactly. It is particularly adapted to problems involving a wide range of particles characteristics (diameter, mass, etc). In the near future, wall interaction, heat transfer, evaporation more complex physics, etc, will be included. Turbulent effects will be accounted for by a Langevin equation. The illustration shows the trajectories followed by water droplets (diameter from 1 mm to 4 mm) in a cooling tower. the droplets are falling down due to gravity but are deflected towards the center of the tower because of a lateral wind. It is clear that particles are affected differently according their diameter. The Eulerian flow field used to compute the forces has been generated by N3S-AERO, on an unstructured mesh

  10. A surrogate fuel formulation to characterize heating and evaporation of light naphtha droplets

    KAUST Repository

    Kabil, I.

    2018-03-08

    Light naphtha (LN) is gaining interest in internal combustion (IC) engine applications due to its low refining cost and higher heating values compared to commercial gasoline. To properly describe the chemical and physical behavior of the LN fuel under IC engine conditions, a systematic procedure to develop unified physical and chemical surrogates is described. The reduced component models to describe the chemical characteristics of LN are combined with the effective thermal conductivity/effective diffusivity (ETC/ED) model to represent the accurate evaporation behavior. Three surrogate fuels consisting of three to five components are presented and their performance in heating and evaporation of a single LN droplet is compared against the conventional primary reference fuel (PRF65) surrogate which is based on chemical aspects only. Unlike the previous approaches, the new surrogates also target matching the hydrogen-to-carbon ratio and research octane number in order to accurately describe the chemical behavior of the fuel. Subsequently, the performance of the surrogates in describing spray characteristics is tested by computational simulations compared with experimental measurements. The simulations were carried out using CONVERGE CFD package. The ETC/ED model was implemented into CONVERGE using user-defined functions. The predicted spray penetration length for the developed surrogates shows good agreement with the experimental data. At engine-like conditions, the ETC/ED model predicts higher vapor mass than the infinite thermal conductivity/infinite diffusivity model, hence showing the expected trend by incorporating the realistic droplet heating process.

  11. A surrogate fuel formulation to characterize heating and evaporation of light naphtha droplets

    KAUST Repository

    Kabil, I.; Sim, J.; Badra, J.A.; Eldrainy, Y.; Abdelghaffar, W.; Mubarak Ali, M. Jaasim; Ahmed, Ahfaz; Sarathy, Mani; Im, Hong G.; Elwardani, Ahmed Elsaid

    2018-01-01

    Light naphtha (LN) is gaining interest in internal combustion (IC) engine applications due to its low refining cost and higher heating values compared to commercial gasoline. To properly describe the chemical and physical behavior of the LN fuel under IC engine conditions, a systematic procedure to develop unified physical and chemical surrogates is described. The reduced component models to describe the chemical characteristics of LN are combined with the effective thermal conductivity/effective diffusivity (ETC/ED) model to represent the accurate evaporation behavior. Three surrogate fuels consisting of three to five components are presented and their performance in heating and evaporation of a single LN droplet is compared against the conventional primary reference fuel (PRF65) surrogate which is based on chemical aspects only. Unlike the previous approaches, the new surrogates also target matching the hydrogen-to-carbon ratio and research octane number in order to accurately describe the chemical behavior of the fuel. Subsequently, the performance of the surrogates in describing spray characteristics is tested by computational simulations compared with experimental measurements. The simulations were carried out using CONVERGE CFD package. The ETC/ED model was implemented into CONVERGE using user-defined functions. The predicted spray penetration length for the developed surrogates shows good agreement with the experimental data. At engine-like conditions, the ETC/ED model predicts higher vapor mass than the infinite thermal conductivity/infinite diffusivity model, hence showing the expected trend by incorporating the realistic droplet heating process.

  12. Effects of calcium magnesium acetate on the combustion of coal-water slurries. Final project report, 1 September 1989--28 February 1993

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Levendis, Y.A.; Wise, D.; Metghalchi, H.; Cumper, J.; Atal, A.; Estrada, K.R.; Murphy, B.; Steciak, J.; Hottel, H.C.; Simons, G.

    1993-07-01

    To conduct studies on the combustion of coal water fuels (CWFs) an appropriate facility was designed and constructed. The main components were (1) a high-temperature isothermal laminar flow furnace that facilitates observation of combustion events in its interior. The design of this system and its characterization are described in Chapter 1. (2) Apparatus for slurry droplet/agglomerate particle generation and introduction in the furnace. These devices are described in Chapters 1 and 3 and other attached publications. (3) An electronic optical pyrometer whose design, construction theory of operation, calibration and performance are presented in Chapter 2. (4) A multitude of other accessories, such as particle fluidization devices, a suction thermometer, a velocimeter, high speed photographic equipment, calibration devices for the pyrometer, etc., are described throughout this report. Results on the combustion of CWF droplets and CWF agglomerates made from micronized coal are described in Chapter 3. In the same chapter the combustion of CWF containing dissolved calcium magnesium acetate (CMA) axe described. The combustion behavior of pre-dried CWF agglomerates of pulverized grain coal is contrasted to that of agglomerates of micronized coal in Chapter 4. In the same chapter the combustion of agglomerates of carbon black and diesel soot is discussed as well. The effect of CMA on the combustion of the above materials is also discussed. Finally, the sulfur capture capability of CMA impregnated micronized and pulverized bituminous coals is examined in Chapter 5.

  13. Development and validation of double and single Wiebe function for multi-injection mode Diesel engine combustion modelling for hardware-in-the-loop applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Maroteaux, Fadila; Saad, Charbel; Aubertin, Fabrice

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • Modelling of Diesel engine combustion with multi-injection mode was conducted. • Double and single Wiebe correlations for pilot, main and post combustion processes were calibrated. • Ignition delay time correlations have been developed and calibrated using experimental data for each injection. • The complete in-cylinder model has been applied successfully to real time simulations on HiL test bed. - Abstract: The improvement of Diesel engine performances in terms of fuel consumption and pollutant emissions has a huge impact on management system and diagnostic procedure. Validation and testing of engine performances can benefit from the use of theoretical models, for the reduction of development time and costs. Hardware in the Loop (HiL) test bench is a suitable way to achieve these objectives. However, the increasing complexity of management systems rises challenges for the development of very reduced physical models able to run in real time applications. This paper presents an extension of a previously developed phenomenological Diesel combustion model suitable for real time applications on a HiL test bench. In the earlier study, the modelling efforts have been targeted at high engine speeds with a very short computational time window, and where the engine operates with single injection. In the present work, a modelling of in-cylinder processes at low and medium engine speeds with multi-injection is performed. In order to reach an adequate computational time, the combustion progress during the pilot and main injection periods has been treated through a double Wiebe function, while the post combustion period has required a single Wiebe function. This paper describes the basic system models and their calibration and validation against experimental data. The use of the developed correlations of Wiebe coefficients and ignition delay times for each combustion phase, included in the in-cylinder crank angle global model, is applied for the prediction

  14. Single-droplet evaporation kinetics and particle formation in an acoustic levitator. Part 1: evaporation of water microdroplets assessed using boundary-layer and acoustic levitation theories.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schiffter, Heiko; Lee, Geoffrey

    2007-09-01

    The suitability of a single droplet drying acoustic levitator as a model for the spray drying of aqueous, pharmaceutically-relevant solutes used to produce protein-loaded particles has been examined. The acoustic levitator was initially evaluated by measuring the drying rates of droplets of pure water in dependence of drying-air temperature and flow rate. The measured drying rates were higher than those predicted by boundary layer theory because of the effects of primary acoustic streaming. Sherwood numbers of 2.6, 3.6, and 4.4 at drying-air temperatures of 25 degrees C, 40 degrees C, and 60 degrees C were determined, respectively. Acoustic levitation theory could predict the measured drying rates and Sherwood numbers only when a forced-convection drying-air stream was used to neuralize the retarding effect of secondary acoustic streaming on evaporation rate. At still higher drying-air flow rates, the Ranz-Marshall correlation accurately predicts Sherwood number, provided a stable droplet position in the standing acoustic wave is maintained. The measured Sherwood numbers and droplet Reynolds numbers show that experiments performed in the levitator in still air are taking place effectively under conditions of substantial forced convection. The similitude of these values to those occurring in spray dryers is fortuitous for the suitability of the acoustic levitator as a droplet evaporation model for spray drying. (c) 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association.

  15. 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

  16. 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.

  17. Early Decomposition of Retained Heavy Silicone Oil Droplets

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Touka Banaee

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: To report a case of early decomposition of retained heavy silicone oil droplets. Case Report: The single highly myopic eye of a 16-year-old boy with history of scleral buckling and buckle revision developed redetachment due to inferior retinal dialysis. The patient underwent pars plana vitrectomy and injection of heavy silicone oil. Early emulsification of the silicone oil was observed following surgery, which was removed 4 weeks later in another operation. Retained heavy silicone droplets lost their heavier- than-water specific gravity within 2 months together with extensive iris depigmentation, and release of pigment granules into the anterior chamber and vitreous cavity. Conclusion: This case report demonstrates that heavy silicone oil droplets can undergo in vivo chemical decomposition with possible toxic effects on ocular tissues.

  18. Multi-chamber actuated micro-dispensing with a single nozzle for sub-nanoliter droplet formation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Song, Sukho; Kim, Sangjin; Kim, Changsung Sean; Kang, Philjoong; Ku, Bosung

    2014-01-01

    A novel concept of single-nozzle micro-dispensing device with multiple pressurizing chambers is proposed for high-throughput drug screening applications such as arraying new drug candidates with sub-nanoliter volume. The theoretical study with a simplified electrical circuit model of the fluidic system shows that the proposed model is effective to sustain jetting stability at high frequency due to an increase in the natural frequency of the fluidic system and high attenuation of the negative pressure wave in the fluidic system. The fabricated device was able to form uniform droplets at up to 7 kHz having 115 pL (1.15 × 10 −10  L) in volume and 1.8 m s −1  ∼ 2.5 m s −1  in velocity. (paper)

  19. 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.

  20. Suppression of the Thermal Decomposition Reaction of Forest Combustible Materials in Large-Area Fires

    Science.gov (United States)

    Volkov, R. S.; Zhdanova, A. O.; Kuznetsov, G. V.; Strizhak, P. A.

    2018-05-01

    Experimental investigations on the characteristic time of suppression of the thermal decomposition reaction of typical forest combustible materials (aspen twigs, birch leaves, spruce needles, pine chips, and a mixture of these materials) and the volume of water required for this purpose have been performed for model fire hotbeds of different areas: SFCM = 0.0003-0.007 m2 and SFCM = 0.045-0.245 m2. In the experiments, aerosol water flows with droplets of size 0.01-0.25 mm were used for the spraying of model fire hotbeds, and the density of spraying was 0.02 L/(m2·s). It was established that the characteristics of suppression of a fire by an aerosol water flow are mainly determined by the sizes of the droplets in this flow. Prognostic estimates of changes in the dispersivity of a droplet cloud, formed from large (as large as 0.5 L) "drops" (water agglomerates) thrown down from a height, have been made. It is shown that these changes can influence the conditions and characteristics of suppression of a forest fire. Dependences, allowing one to forecast the characteristics of suppression of the thermal decomposition of forest combustible materials with the use of large water agglomerates thrown down from an aircraft and aerosol clouds formed from these agglomerates in the process of their movement to the earth, are presented.

  1. Suppression of the Thermal Decomposition Reaction of Forest Combustible Materials in Large-Area Fires

    Science.gov (United States)

    Volkov, R. S.; Zhdanova, A. O.; Kuznetsov, G. V.; Strizhak, P. A.

    2018-03-01

    Experimental investigations on the characteristic time of suppression of the thermal decomposition reaction of typical forest combustible materials (aspen twigs, birch leaves, spruce needles, pine chips, and a mixture of these materials) and the volume of water required for this purpose have been performed for model fire hotbeds of different areas: SFCM = 0.0003-0.007 m2 and SFCM = 0.045-0.245 m2. In the experiments, aerosol water flows with droplets of size 0.01-0.25 mm were used for the spraying of model fire hotbeds, and the density of spraying was 0.02 L/(m2·s). It was established that the characteristics of suppression of a fire by an aerosol water flow are mainly determined by the sizes of the droplets in this flow. Prognostic estimates of changes in the dispersivity of a droplet cloud, formed from large (as large as 0.5 L) "drops" (water agglomerates) thrown down from a height, have been made. It is shown that these changes can influence the conditions and characteristics of suppression of a forest fire. Dependences, allowing one to forecast the characteristics of suppression of the thermal decomposition of forest combustible materials with the use of large water agglomerates thrown down from an aircraft and aerosol clouds formed from these agglomerates in the process of their movement to the earth, are presented.

  2. A numerical study of the effects of injection rate shape on combustion and emission of diesel engines

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    He Zhixia

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The spray characteristics including spray droplet sizes, droplet distribution, spray tip penetration length and spray diffusion angle directly affects the mixture process of fuel and oxygen and then plays an important role for the improvement of combustion and emission performance of diesel engines. Different injection rate shapes may induce different spray characteristics and then further affect the subsequent combustion and emission performance of diesel engines. In this paper, the spray and combustion processes based on four different injection rate shapes with constant injection duration and injected fuel mass were simulated in the software of AVL FIRE. The numerical models were validated through comparing the results from the simulation with those from experiment. It was found that the dynamic of diesel engines with the new proposed hump shape of injection rate and the original saddle shape is better than that with the injection rate of rectangle and triangle shape, but the emission of NOX is higher. And the soot emission is lowest during the late injection period for the new hump-shape injection rate because of a higher oxidation rate with a better mixture between fuel and air under the high injection pressure.

  3. Ignition of turbulent swirling n-heptane spray flames using single and multiple sparks

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Marchionea, T.; Ahmeda, S.F.; Mastorakos, E. [Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge (United Kingdom)

    2009-01-15

    This paper examines ignition processes of an n-heptane spray in a flow typical of a liquid-fuelled burner. The spray is created by a hollow-cone pressure atomiser placed in the centre of a bluff body, around which swirling air induces a strong recirculation zone. Ignition was achieved by single small sparks of short duration (2 mm; 0.5 ms), located at various places inside the flow so as to identify the most ignitable regions, or larger sparks of longer duration (5 mm; 8 ms) repeated at 100 Hz, located close to the combustion chamber enclosure so as to mimic the placement and characteristics of a gas turbine combustor surface igniter. The air and droplet velocities, the droplet diameter, and the total (i.e. liquid plus vapour) equivalence ratio were measured in inert flow by phase Doppler anemometry and sampling respectively. Fast camera imaging suggested that successful ignition events were associated with flamelets that propagated back towards the spray nozzle. Measurements of ignition probability with the single spark showed that localised ignition inside the spray is more likely to result in successful flame establishment when the spark is located in a region of negative velocity, relatively small droplet Sauter mean diameter, and mean equivalence ratio within the flammability limits. Ignition with the single spark was not possible at the location where the multiple spark experiments were performed. For those, the multiple spark sequence lasted approximately 1 to 5 s. It was found that a long spark sequence increases the ignition efficiency, which reached a maximum of 100% at the axial distance where the recirculation zone had maximum width. Ignition was not feasible with the spark downstream of about two burner diameters. Visualisation showed that small flame kernels emanate very often from the spark, which can be stretched as far as 20 mm from the electrodes by the turbulent velocity fluctuations. These kernels survive very little time. Successful overall

  4. Investigation of gel formation and volatilization of acetate acid in magnesium acetate droplets by the optical tweezers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lv, Xi-Juan; Wang, Yang; Cai, Chen; Pang, Shu-Feng; Ma, Jia-Bi; Zhang, Yun-Hong

    2018-07-05

    Hygroscopicity and volatility of single magnesium acetate (MgAc 2 ) aerosol particles at various relative humidities (RHs) are studied by a single-beam optical tweezers, and refractive indices (RIs) and morphology are characterized by cavity enhanced Raman spectroscopy. Gel formation and volatilization of acetate acid (HAc) in MgAc 2 droplets are observed. Due to the formation of amorphous gel structure, water transposition in droplets at RH magnesium hydroxide (Mg(OH) 2 ) inclusions are formed in MgAc 2 droplets due to the volatilization of HAc, and whispering gallery modes (WGMs) of MgAc 2 droplets in the Raman spectrum quench after 50,000 s. In sharp contrast, after 86,000 s at RH ≈ 70%, NaAc droplets are in well-mixed liquid states, containing soluble sodium hydroxide (NaOH). At this state, the RI of NaAc droplet is increased, and the quenching of WGMs is not observable. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. 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.

  6. Effect of fuel injection pressure and injection timing of Karanja biodiesel blends on fuel spray, engine performance, emissions and combustion characteristics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Agarwal, Avinash Kumar; Dhar, Atul; Gupta, Jai Gopal; Kim, Woong Il; Choi, Kibong; Lee, Chang Sik; Park, Sungwook

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • Effect of FIP on microscopic spray characteristics. • Effect of FIP and SOI timing on CRDI engine performance, emissions and combustion. • Fuel injection duration shortened, peak injection rate increased with increasing FIP. • SMD (D 32 ) and AMD (D 10 ) of fuel droplets decreased for lower biodiesel blends. • Increase in biodiesel blend ratio and FIP, fuel injection duration decreased. - Abstract: In this investigation, effect of 10%, 20% and 50% Karanja biodiesel blends on injection rate, atomization, engine performance, emissions and combustion characteristics of common rail direct injection (CRDI) type fuel injection system were evaluated in a single cylinder research engine at 300, 500, 750 and 1000 bar fuel injection pressures at different start of injection timings and constant engine speed of 1500 rpm. The duration of fuel injection slightly decreased with increasing blend ratio of biodiesel (Karanja Oil Methyl Ester: KOME) and significantly decreased with increasing fuel injection pressure. The injection rate profile and Sauter mean diameter (D 32 ) of the fuel droplets are influenced by the injection pressure. Increasing fuel injection pressure generally improves the thermal efficiency of the test fuels. Sauter mean diameter (D 32 ) and arithmetic mean diameter (D 10 ) decreased with decreasing Karanja biodiesel content in the blend and significantly increased for higher blends due to relatively higher fuel density and viscosity. Maximum thermal efficiency was observed at the same injection timing for biodiesel blends and mineral diesel. Lower Karanja biodiesel blends (up to 20%) showed lower brake specific hydrocarbon (BSHC) and carbon monoxide (BSCO) emissions in comparison to mineral diesel. For lower Karanja biodiesel blends, combustion duration was shorter than mineral diesel however at higher fuel injection pressures, combustion duration of 50% blend was longer than mineral diesel. Up to 10% Karanja biodiesel blends in a CRDI

  7. Effects of ambient temperature and oxygen concentration on diesel spray combustion using a single-nozzle injector in a constant volume combustion chamber

    KAUST Repository

    Jing, Wei

    2013-09-02

    This work investigates the effects of ambient conditions on diesel spray combustion in an optically accessible, constant volume chamber using a single-nozzle fuel injector. The ambient O2 concentration was varied between five discrete values from 10% to 21% and three different ambient temperatures (800 K, 1000 K, and 1200 K). These conditions simulate different exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) levels and ambient temperatures in diesel engines. Both conventional diesel combustion and low temperature combustion (LTC) modes were observed under these conditions. A transient analysis and a quasi-steady state analysis are employed in this article. The transient analysis focuses on the flame development from beginning to the end, illustrating how the flame structure changes during this process; the quasi-steady state analysis focuses on the stable flame structure. The transient analysis was conducted using high-speed imaging of both OH* chemiluminescence and natural luminosity (NL). In addition, three different images were acquired using an ICCD camera, corresponding to OH* chemiluminescence, narrow-band flame emission at 430 nm (Band A) and at 470 nm (Band B), and were used to investigate the quasi-steady state combustion process. From the transient analysis, it was found that the NL signal becomes stronger and confined to narrow regions when the temperature and O2 concentration increase during the development of flame. The OH* intensity is much lower for the 10% ambient O2 and 800 K conditions compared to the higher temperatures and O2 levels. This implies the occurrence of LTC under these conditions. Results from the quasi-steady combustion stage indicate that high-temperature reactions effectively oxidize the soot in the downstream locations where only OH* signal is observed. In addition, an area was calculated for each spectral region, and results show that the area of Band A and Band B emissions in these images is larger than the area of OH* emissions at the lower O2

  8. Effects of ambient temperature and oxygen concentration on diesel spray combustion using a single-nozzle injector in a constant volume combustion chamber

    KAUST Repository

    Jing, Wei; Roberts, William L.; Fang, Tiegang

    2013-01-01

    This work investigates the effects of ambient conditions on diesel spray combustion in an optically accessible, constant volume chamber using a single-nozzle fuel injector. The ambient O2 concentration was varied between five discrete values from 10% to 21% and three different ambient temperatures (800 K, 1000 K, and 1200 K). These conditions simulate different exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) levels and ambient temperatures in diesel engines. Both conventional diesel combustion and low temperature combustion (LTC) modes were observed under these conditions. A transient analysis and a quasi-steady state analysis are employed in this article. The transient analysis focuses on the flame development from beginning to the end, illustrating how the flame structure changes during this process; the quasi-steady state analysis focuses on the stable flame structure. The transient analysis was conducted using high-speed imaging of both OH* chemiluminescence and natural luminosity (NL). In addition, three different images were acquired using an ICCD camera, corresponding to OH* chemiluminescence, narrow-band flame emission at 430 nm (Band A) and at 470 nm (Band B), and were used to investigate the quasi-steady state combustion process. From the transient analysis, it was found that the NL signal becomes stronger and confined to narrow regions when the temperature and O2 concentration increase during the development of flame. The OH* intensity is much lower for the 10% ambient O2 and 800 K conditions compared to the higher temperatures and O2 levels. This implies the occurrence of LTC under these conditions. Results from the quasi-steady combustion stage indicate that high-temperature reactions effectively oxidize the soot in the downstream locations where only OH* signal is observed. In addition, an area was calculated for each spectral region, and results show that the area of Band A and Band B emissions in these images is larger than the area of OH* emissions at the lower O2

  9. Multiplexed Single Intact Cell Droplet Digital PCR (MuSIC ddPCR) Method for Specific Detection of Enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) in Food Enrichment Cultures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McMahon, Tanis C; Blais, Burton W; Wong, Alex; Carrillo, Catherine D

    2017-01-01

    Foodborne illness attributed to enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC), a highly pathogenic subset of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), is increasingly recognized as a significant public health issue. Current microbiological methods for identification of EHEC in foods often use PCR-based approaches to screen enrichment broth cultures for characteristic gene markers [i.e., Shiga toxin ( stx ) and intimin ( eae )]. However, false positives arise when complex food matrices, such as beef, contain mixtures of eae -negative STEC and eae -positive E. coli , but no EHEC with both markers in a single cell. To reduce false-positive detection of EHEC in food enrichment samples, a Multiplexed, Single Intact Cell droplet digital PCR (MuSIC ddPCR) assay capable of detecting the co-occurrence of the stx and eae genes in a single bacterial cell was developed. This method requires: (1) dispersal of intact bacteria into droplets; (2) release of genomic DNA (gDNA) by heat lysis; and (3) amplification and detection of genetic targets ( stx and eae ) using standard TaqMan chemistries with ddPCR. Performance of the method was tested with panels of EHEC and non-target E. coli . By determining the linkage (i.e., the proportion of droplets in which stx and eae targets were both amplified), samples containing EHEC (typically greater than 20% linkage) could be distinguished from samples containing mixtures of eae -negative STEC and eae -positive E. coli (0-2% linkage). The use of intact cells was necessary as this linkage was not observed with gDNA extracts. EHEC could be accurately identified in enrichment broth cultures containing excess amounts of background E. coli and in enrichment cultures derived from ground beef/pork and leafy-green produce samples. To our knowledge, this is the first report of dual-target detection in single bacterial cells using ddPCR. The application of MuSIC ddPCR to enrichment-culture screening would reduce false-positives, thereby improving the cost, speed, and

  10. 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.

  11. The precise and accurate production of millimetric water droplets using a superhydrophobic generating apparatus

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wood, Michael J.; Aristizabal, Felipe; Coady, Matthew; Nielson, Kent; Ragogna, Paul J.; Kietzig, Anne-Marie

    2018-02-01

    The production of millimetric liquid droplets has importance in a wide range of applications both in the laboratory and industrially. As such, much effort has been put forth to devise methods to generate these droplets on command in a manner which results in high diameter accuracy and precision, well-defined trajectories followed by successive droplets and low oscillations in droplet shape throughout their descents. None of the currently employed methods of millimetric droplet generation described in the literature adequately addresses all of these desired droplet characteristics. The reported methods invariably involve the cohesive separation of the desired volume of liquid from the bulk supply in the same step that separates the single droplet from the solid generator. We have devised a droplet generation device which separates the desired volume of liquid within a tee-apparatus in a step prior to the generation of the droplet which has yielded both high accuracy and precision of the diameters of the final droplets produced. Further, we have engineered a generating tip with extreme antiwetting properties which has resulted in reduced adhesion forces between the liquid droplet and the solid tip. This has yielded the ability to produce droplets of low mass without necessitating different diameter generating tips or the addition of surfactants to the liquid, well-defined droplet trajectories, and low oscillations in droplet volume. The trajectories and oscillations of the droplets produced have been assessed and presented quantitatively in a manner that has been lacking in the current literature.

  12. 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.

  13. Scissors Mode of Dipolar Quantum Droplets of Dysprosium Atoms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferrier-Barbut, Igor; Wenzel, Matthias; Böttcher, Fabian; Langen, Tim; Isoard, Mathieu; Stringari, Sandro; Pfau, Tilman

    2018-04-01

    We report on the observation of the scissors mode of a single dipolar quantum droplet. The existence of this mode is due to the breaking of the rotational symmetry by the dipole-dipole interaction, which is fixed along an external homogeneous magnetic field. By modulating the orientation of this magnetic field, we introduce a new spectroscopic technique for studying dipolar quantum droplets. This provides a precise probe for interactions in the system, allowing us to extract a background scattering length for 164Dy of 69 (4 )a0 . Our results establish an analogy between quantum droplets and atomic nuclei, where the existence of the scissors mode is also only due to internal interactions. They further open the possibility to explore physics beyond the available theoretical models for strongly dipolar quantum gases.

  14. The micro-droplet behavior of a molten lead-free solder in an inkjet printing process

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tsai, M H; Chou, H H; Hwang, W S

    2009-01-01

    An experimental investigation on the droplet formation of molten Sn3.0 wt%Ag0.5 wt%Cu alloy by an inkjet printing process was conducted. The printing process used a piezoelectric print head with a nozzle orifice diameter of 50 µm. Micro-droplets of a molten lead-free solder were ejected at 230 °C. The print head was driven by a bipolar pulse 40 V in amplitude. The major variables for this study were two pulse times; t rise /t finalrise and t fall , as well as N 2 back-pressure in the molten solder reservoir. Under various printing conditions, extrusion of the liquid column, contraction of liquid thread and pinch-off of liquid thread at nozzle exit were observed by monitoring the dynamics of the molten solder droplet ejection process. The droplet formation was found to be insensitive to t rise and t finalrise in the range of 250–1000 µs. The behavior of droplet formation was, however, significantly affected by the transfer rate, t fall , in the range of 30–60 µs and t fall of 50 µs yielded the most desirable condition of single droplet formation. The N 2 back-pressure was also found to be critical, where a back pressure between 10 and 21 kPa could give the desirable single-droplet formation condition

  15. Combustion of Metals in Reduced-Gravity and Extra Terrestrial Environments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Branch, M.C.; Abbud-Madrid, A.; Daily, J. W.

    1999-01-01

    combustion. Second, a low-gravity environment is absolutely essential to remove the destructive effect of gravity on the shape of a molten metal droplet in order to study a spherically symmetric condition with large bulk samples. The larger size of the spherical metal droplet and the longer burning times available in reduced gravity extend the spatial and temporal dimensions to permit careful probing of the flame structure and dynamics. Third, the influence of the radiative heat transfer from the solid oxides can be studied more carefully by generating a stagnant spherical shell of condensed products undisturbed by buoyancy.

  16. Combustion Stratification for Naphtha from CI Combustion to PPC

    KAUST Repository

    Vallinayagam, R.

    2017-03-28

    This study demonstrates the combustion stratification from conventional compression ignition (CI) combustion to partially premixed combustion (PPC). Experiments are performed in an optical CI engine at a speed of 1200 rpm for diesel and naphtha (RON = 46). The motored pressure at TDC is maintained at 35 bar and fuelMEP is kept constant at 5.1 bar to account for the difference in fuel properties between naphtha and diesel. Single injection strategy is employed and the fuel is injected at a pressure of 800 bar. Photron FASTCAM SA4 that captures in-cylinder combustion at the rate of 10000 frames per second is employed. The captured high speed video is processed to study the combustion homogeneity based on an algorithm reported in previous studies. Starting from late fuel injection timings, combustion stratification is investigated by advancing the fuel injection timings. For late start of injection (SOI), a direct link between SOI and combustion phasing is noticed. At early SOI, combustion phasing depends on both intake air temperature and SOI. In order to match the combustion phasing (CA50) of diesel, the intake air temperature is increased to 90°C for naphtha. The combustion stratification from CI to PPC is also investigated for various level of dilution by displacing oxygen with nitrogen in the intake. The start of combustion (SOC) was delayed with the increase in dilution and to compensate for this, the intake air temperature is increased. The mixture homogeneity is enhanced for higher dilution due to longer ignition delay. The results show that high speed image is initially blue and then turned yellow, indicating soot formation and oxidation. The luminosity of combustion images decreases with early SOI and increased dilution. The images are processed to generate the level of stratification based on the image intensity. The level of stratification is same for diesel and naphtha at various SOI. When O concentration in the intake is decreased to 17.7% and 14

  17. 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.

  18. 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.

  19. Combustion modelling of a fuel oil flame; Modelisation de la combustion d`une flamme de fuel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Flour, I.; Mechitouan, N.

    1996-10-01

    The combustion modelling of a fuel oil flame has been realised in the scope of the R and D `Combustion Turbines`. This report presents the results of the 2D simulation of a fuel oil flame (n-octane), at atmospherical pressure, without swirl, realised using the Eulerian two-phase flow software Melodif. This calculation has been defined in collaboration with IFP, using experimental data from the IFRP. The hollow cone spray of liquid fuel is injected in the middle of the combustion chamber, with a co-flowing annular air. The furnace diameter is 2 meter and its length is 6,25 meter. A large recirculation zone is induced by the air flow, and leads to take into account the whole furnace, in order to avoid some problems with the limit conditions at the outlet. This calculation deals with droplets evaporation, gaseous phase combustion and radiation heat transfer. Predictions concerning gaseous axial mean velocity and mean temperature gradient in the flame, are in good agreement with measurements. However the temperature is too low in the peripheral zone of the flow. This is probably due to the fact that heat exchanges at the wall furnace are not correctly represented, because of a lack of detailed limit conditions for the walls. The mean radial velocity is not so well predicted, but this measurement is also quite difficult in a strongly longitudinal flow. The results concerning the dispersed phase will not be compared, because no measurements on the liquid fuel were available. As it has been experimentally observed, the simulation shows that the fuel oil spray quickly evaporates as it enters the combustion chamber. This result allows to propose to use an homogeneous approach (hypothesis of no-slipping between the two phases) in an Eulerian one-phase flow code, in case of a 3D simulation of liquid fuel turbine. (authors)

  20. Multiple Hotspot Mutations Scanning by Single Droplet Digital PCR.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Decraene, Charles; Silveira, Amanda B; Bidard, François-Clément; Vallée, Audrey; Michel, Marc; Melaabi, Samia; Vincent-Salomon, Anne; Saliou, Adrien; Houy, Alexandre; Milder, Maud; Lantz, Olivier; Ychou, Marc; Denis, Marc G; Pierga, Jean-Yves; Stern, Marc-Henri; Proudhon, Charlotte

    2018-02-01

    Progress in the liquid biopsy field, combined with the development of droplet digital PCR (ddPCR), has enabled noninvasive monitoring of mutations with high detection accuracy. However, current assays detect a restricted number of mutations per reaction. ddPCR is a recognized method for detecting alterations previously characterized in tumor tissues, but its use as a discovery tool when the mutation is unknown a priori remains limited. We established 2 ddPCR assays detecting all genomic alterations within KRAS exon 2 and EGFR exon 19 mutation hotspots, which are of clinical importance in colorectal and lung cancer, with use of a unique pair of TaqMan ® oligoprobes. The KRAS assay scanned for the 7 most common mutations in codons 12/13 but also all other mutations found in that region. The EGFR assay screened for all in-frame deletions of exon 19, which are frequent EGFR-activating events. The KRAS and EGFR assays were highly specific and both reached a limit of detection of <0.1% in mutant allele frequency. We further validated their performance on multiple plasma and formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tumor samples harboring a panel of different KRAS or EGFR mutations. This method presents the advantage of detecting a higher number of mutations with single-reaction ddPCRs while consuming a minimum of patient sample. This is particularly useful in the context of liquid biopsy because the amount of circulating tumor DNA is often low. This method should be useful as a discovery tool when the tumor tissue is unavailable or to monitor disease during therapy. © 2017 American Association for Clinical Chemistry.

  1. Dynamics of Al/Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} MIC combustion from short single-pulse photothermal initiation and time-resolved spectroscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Stiegman, Albert E.; Park, Chi-Dong; Mileham, Melissa; Van de Burgt, Lambertus J. [Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University Tallahassee, FL (United States); Kramer, Michael P. [AFRL/MNME Eglin AFB, FL (United States)

    2009-08-15

    Time-resolved spectroscopy was used to study the dynamics of the photothermal ignition of Al/Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} metastable intermolecular composites after single short-pulse laser initiation. The dynamics were recorded in several time domains from nanosecond to microsecond to quantify the dynamics from initial laser excitation to combustion. Time-averaged spectral data were also collected for the overall emission occurring during combustion. (Abstract Copyright [2009], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

  2. Fast electric control of the droplet size in a microfluidic T-junction droplet generator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shojaeian, Mostafa; Hardt, Steffen

    2018-05-01

    The effect of DC electric fields on the generation of droplets of water and xanthan gum solutions in sunflower oil at a microfluidic T-junction is experimentally studied. The electric field leads to a significant reduction of the droplet diameter, by about a factor of 2 in the case of water droplets. The droplet size can be tuned by varying the electric field strength, an effect that can be employed to produce a stream of droplets with a tailor-made size sequence. Compared to the case of purely hydrodynamic droplet production without electric fields, the electric control has about the same effect on the droplet size if the electric stress at the liquid/liquid interface is the same as the hydrodynamic stress.

  3. A Numerical and Experimental Investigation of the Internal Flow of a Freezing Water Droplet

    OpenAIRE

    Karlsson, Linn

    2015-01-01

    The overarching aim of this work is to study the freezing process of a single water droplet freezing on a cold surface, which is an interesting and important phenomenon with possible applications in many areas. Understanding the freezing process of a single water droplet is for example an important step when preventing unwanted icing, e.g. in the case of airplane wings and propellers, wind turbine rotor blades, and road surfaces.As a step in understanding the freezing process, the study speci...

  4. Effect of Pilot Injection Timings on the Combustion Temperature Distribution in a Single-Cylinder CI Engine Fueled with DME and ULSD

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jeon Joonho

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Many studies of DiMethyl Ether (DME as an alternative fuel in Compression-Ignition (CI engines have been performed. Although diverse DME engine research has been conducted, the investigation of combustion behavior and temperature distribution in the combustion engine has not progressed due to the fact that there is no sooting flame in DME combustion. In order to investigate the combustion characteristics in this study, the KIVA-3 V code was implemented to research various pilot injection strategies on a single-cylinder CI engines with DME and Ultra-Low-Sulfur Diesel (ULSD fuels. The combustion distribution results obtained from the numerical investigation were validated when compared with the measurement of flame temperature behaviors in the experimental approach. This study showed that long intervals between two injection timings enhanced pilot combustion by increasing the ambient pressure and temperature before the start of the main combustion. Different atomization properties between DME and ULSD fuels contributed to the formation of a fuel-air mixture at the nozzle tip and piston lip regions, separately, which strongly affected the temperature distribution of the two fuels. In addition, the pilot injection timing played a vital role in regard to ignition delay and peak combustion temperatures. Exhaust emissions, such as NOx and soot, are related to the local equivalence ratio and temperature in the combustion chamber, also illustrated by the contrary result on a Φ (equivalence ratio – T (temperature map.

  5. 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.

  6. Evaporation dynamics of a sessile droplet on glass surfaces with fluoropolymer coatings: focusing on the final stage of thin droplet evaporation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gatapova, Elizaveta Ya; Shonina, Anna M; Safonov, Alexey I; Sulyaeva, Veronica S; Kabov, Oleg A

    2018-03-07

    The evaporation dynamics of a water droplet with an initial volume of 2 μl from glass surfaces with fluoropolymer coatings are investigated using the shadow technique and an optical microscope. The droplet profile for a contact angle of less than 5° is constructed using an image-analyzing interference technique, and evaporation dynamics are investigated at the final stage. We coated the glass slides with a thin film of a fluoropolymer by the hot-wire chemical vapor deposition method at different deposition modes depending on the deposition pressure and the temperature of the activating wire. The resulting surfaces have different structures affecting the wetting properties. Droplet evaporation from a constant contact radius mode in the early stage of evaporation was found followed by the mode where both contact angle and contact radius simultaneously vary in time (final stage) regardless of wettability of the coated surfaces. We found that depinning occurs at small contact angles of 2.2-4.7° for all samples, which are smaller than the measured receding contact angles. This is explained by imbibition of the liquid into the developed surface of the "soft" coating that leads to formation of thin droplets completely wetting the surface. The final stage, which is little discussed in the literature, is also recorded. We have singled out a substage where the contact line velocity is abruptly increasing for all coated and uncoated surfaces. The critical droplet height corresponding to the transition to this substage is about 2 μm with R/h = 107. The duration of this substage is the same for all coated and uncoated surfaces. Droplets observed at this substage for all the tested surfaces are axisymmetric. The specific evaporation rate clearly demonstrates an abrupt increase at the final substage of the droplet evaporation. The classical R 2 law is justified for the complete wetting situation where the droplet is disappearing in an axisymmetric manner.

  7. Electrical actuation of dielectric droplets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kumari, N; Bahadur, V; Garimella, S V

    2008-01-01

    Electrical actuation of liquid droplets at the microscale offers promising applications in the fields of microfluidics and lab-on-a-chip devices. Much prior research has targeted the electrical actuation of electrically conducting liquid droplets; however, the actuation of dielectric droplets has remained relatively unexplored, despite the advantages associated with the use of a dielectric droplet. This paper presents modeling and experimental results on the electrical actuation of dielectric droplets between two flat plates. A first-order analytical model, based on the energy-minimization principle, is developed to estimate the electrical actuation force on a dielectric droplet as it moves between two flat plates. Two versions of this analytical model are benchmarked for their suitability and accuracy against a detailed numerical model. The actuation force prediction is then combined with available semi-analytical expressions for predicting the forces opposing droplet motion to develop a model that predicts transient droplet motion under electrical actuation. Electrical actuation of dielectric droplets is experimentally demonstrated by moving transformer oil droplets between two flat plates under the influence of an actuation voltage. Droplet velocities and their dependence on the plate spacing and the applied voltage are experimentally measured and showed reasonable agreement with predictions from the models developed

  8. 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.

  9. Chemotactic droplet swimmers in complex geometries

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jin, Chenyu; Hokmabad, Babak V.; Baldwin, Kyle A.; Maass, Corinna C.

    2018-02-01

    Chemotaxis1 and auto-chemotaxis are key mechanisms in the dynamics of micro-organisms, e.g. in the acquisition of nutrients and in the communication between individuals, influencing the collective behaviour. However, chemical signalling and the natural environment of biological swimmers are generally complex, making them hard to access analytically. We present a well-controlled, tunable artificial model to study chemotaxis and autochemotaxis in complex geometries, using microfluidic assays of self-propelling oil droplets in an aqueous surfactant solution (Herminghaus et al 2014 Soft Matter 10 7008-22 Krüger et al 2016 Phys. Rev. Lett. 117). Droplets propel via interfacial Marangoni stresses powered by micellar solubilisation. Moreover, filled micelles act as a chemical repellent by diffusive phoretic gradient forces. We have studied these chemotactic effects in a series of microfluidic geometries, as published in Jin et al (2017 Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. 114 5089-94): first, droplets are guided along the shortest path through a maze by surfactant diffusing into the maze from the exit. Second, we let auto-chemotactic droplet swimmers pass through bifurcating microfluidic channels and record anticorrelations between the branch choices of consecutive droplets. We present an analytical Langevin model matching the experimental data. In a previously unpublished experiment, pillar arrays of variable sizes and shapes provide a convex wall interacting with the swimmer and, in the case of attachment, bending its trajectory and forcing it to revert to its own trail. We observe different behaviours based on the interplay of wall curvature and negative autochemotaxis, i.e. no attachment for highly curved interfaces, stable trapping at large pillars, and a narrow transition region where negative autochemotaxis makes the swimmers detach after a single orbit.

  10. Droplet Microfluidic and Magnetic Particles Platform for Cancer Typing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferraro, Davide; Champ, Jérôme; Teste, Bruno; Serra, M; Malaquin, Laurent; Descroix, Stéphanie; de Cremoux, Patricia; Viovy, Jean-Louis

    2017-01-01

    Analyses of nucleic acids are routinely performed in hospital laboratories to detect gene alterations for cancer diagnosis and treatment decision. Among the different possible investigations, mRNA analysis provides information on abnormal levels of genes expression. Standard laboratory methods are still not adapted to the isolation and quantitation of low mRNA amounts and new techniques needs to be developed in particular for rare subsets analysis. By reducing the volume involved, time process, and the contamination risks, droplet microfluidics provide numerous advantages to perform analysis down to the single cell level.We report on a droplet microfluidic platform based on the manipulation of magnetic particles that allows the clinical analysis of tumor tissues. In particular, it allows the extraction of mRNA from the total-RNA sample, Reverse Transcription, and cDNA amplification, all in droplets.

  11. Absolute determination of single-stranded and self-complementary adeno-associated viral vector genome titers by droplet digital PCR.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lock, Martin; Alvira, Mauricio R; Chen, Shu-Jen; Wilson, James M

    2014-04-01

    Accurate titration of adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector genome copies is critical for ensuring correct and reproducible dosing in both preclinical and clinical settings. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) is the current method of choice for titrating AAV genomes because of the simplicity, accuracy, and robustness of the assay. However, issues with qPCR-based determination of self-complementary AAV vector genome titers, due to primer-probe exclusion through genome self-annealing or through packaging of prematurely terminated defective interfering (DI) genomes, have been reported. Alternative qPCR, gel-based, or Southern blotting titering methods have been designed to overcome these issues but may represent a backward step from standard qPCR methods in terms of simplicity, robustness, and precision. Droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) is a new PCR technique that directly quantifies DNA copies with an unparalleled degree of precision and without the need for a standard curve or for a high degree of amplification efficiency; all properties that lend themselves to the accurate quantification of both single-stranded and self-complementary AAV genomes. Here we compare a ddPCR-based AAV genome titer assay with a standard and an optimized qPCR assay for the titration of both single-stranded and self-complementary AAV genomes. We demonstrate absolute quantification of single-stranded AAV vector genomes by ddPCR with up to 4-fold increases in titer over a standard qPCR titration but with equivalent readout to an optimized qPCR assay. In the case of self-complementary vectors, ddPCR titers were on average 5-, 1.9-, and 2.3-fold higher than those determined by standard qPCR, optimized qPCR, and agarose gel assays, respectively. Droplet digital PCR-based genome titering was superior to qPCR in terms of both intra- and interassay precision and is more resistant to PCR inhibitors, a desirable feature for in-process monitoring of early-stage vector production and for vector genome biodistribution

  12. Combustion Model and Control Parameter Optimization Methods for Single Cylinder Diesel Engine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bambang Wahono

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available This research presents a method to construct a combustion model and a method to optimize some control parameters of diesel engine in order to develop a model-based control system. The construction purpose of the model is to appropriately manage some control parameters to obtain the values of fuel consumption and emission as the engine output objectives. Stepwise method considering multicollinearity was applied to construct combustion model with the polynomial model. Using the experimental data of a single cylinder diesel engine, the model of power, BSFC, NOx, and soot on multiple injection diesel engines was built. The proposed method succesfully developed the model that describes control parameters in relation to the engine outputs. Although many control devices can be mounted to diesel engine, optimization technique is required to utilize this method in finding optimal engine operating conditions efficiently beside the existing development of individual emission control methods. Particle swarm optimization (PSO was used to calculate control parameters to optimize fuel consumption and emission based on the model. The proposed method is able to calculate control parameters efficiently to optimize evaluation item based on the model. Finally, the model which added PSO then was compiled in a microcontroller.

  13. Combustion Property Analysis and Control System for the Dynamics of a Single Cylinder Diesel Engine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bambang Wahono

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Corresponding to global environment problems in recent year, the technology for reducing fuel consumption and exhaust gas emission of engine was needed. Simulation of transient engine response is needed to predict engine performance that frequently experience rapid changes of speed. The aim of this research is to develop a non-linear dynamic control model for direct injection single cylinder diesel engine which can simulate engine performance under transient conditions. In this paper, the combustion model with multistage injection and conducted experiments in the transient conditions to clarify the combustion characteristics was proposed. In order to perform the analysis of acceleration operation characteristics, it was built a Model Predictive Control (MPC to reproduce the characteristic values of the exhaust gas and fuel consumption from the control parameters in particular. Finally, MPC is an effective method to perform the analysis of characteristic in diesel engine under transient conditions.

  14. Degradation of carbonyl hydroperoxides in the atmosphere and in combustion

    KAUST Repository

    Xing, Lili

    2017-10-12

    Oxygenates with carbonyl and hydroperoxy functional groups are important intermediates that are generated during the autooxidation of organic compounds in the atmosphere and during the autoignition of transport fuels. In the troposphere, the degradation of carbonyl hydroperoxides leads to low-vapor-pressure polyfunctional species that be taken into in cloud and fog droplets or to the formation of secondary organic aerosols (SOAs). In combustion, the fate of carbonyl hydroperoxides is important for the performance of advanced combustion engines, especially for autoignition. A key fate of the carbonyl hydroperoxides is reac-tion with OH radicals, for which kinetics data are experimentally unavailable. Here, we study 4-hydroperoxy-2-pentanone (CH3C(=O)CH2CH(OOH)CH3) as a model compound to clarify the kinetics of OH reactions with carbonyl hydroperoxides, in par-ticular H-atom abstraction and OH addition reactions. With a combination of electronic structure calculations, we determine previ-ously missing thermochemical data, and with multipath variational transition state theory (MP-VTST), a multidimensional tunnel-ing (MT) approximation, multiple-structure anharmonicity, and torsional potential anharmonicity we obtained much more accurate rate constants than the ones that can computed by conventional single-structure harmonic transition state theory (TST) and than the empirically estimated rate constants that are currently used in atmospheric and combustion modeling. The roles of various factors in determining the rates are elucidated. The pressure-dependent rate constants for the addition reaction are computed using system-specific quantum RRK theory. The calculated temperature range is 298-2400 K, and the pressure range is 0.01–100 atm. The accu-rate thermodynamic and kinetics data determined in this work are indispensable in the global modeling of SOAs in atmospheric science and in the detailed understanding and prediction of ignition properties of hydrocarbons

  15. Droplet Combustion and Non-Reactive Shear-Coaxial Jets with and without Transverse Acoustic Excitation

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-01-01

    node, there is no droplet deflection, but there is limited evidence for this. Recent studies at UCLA and at NASA Glenn Research Center by Dattarajan et...generator supplied continuous sine wave signals, which were amplified via Trek PZD2000A high-voltage amplifiers, to each piezo-siren. The waveform...1.3. Verify the wire on Channel 1 of the Tenma oscilloscope (Model No. 72-6800) comes from the output voltage monitor on the Trek -1 amplifier and the

  16. Performance, Emissions and Combustion Characteristics of a Single Cylinder Diesel Engine Fuelled with Blends of Jatropha Methyl Ester and Diesel

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Debasish Padhee

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available In order to meet the energy requirements, there has been growing interest in alternative fuels like biodiesels, ethyl alcohol, biogas, hydrogen and producer gas to provide a suitable diesel substitute for internal combustion engines. An experimental investigation was performed to study the performance, emissions and combustion characteristics of diesel engine fuelled with blends of Jatropha methyl ester and diesel. In the present work three different fuel blends of Jatropha methyl ester (B10, B20, B40 and B100 were used. The increments in load on the engine increase the brake thermal efficiency, exhaust gas temperature and lowered the brake specific fuel consumption. The biodiesel blends produce lower carbon monoxide & unburned hydrocarbon emission and higher carbon dioxide & oxides of nitrogen than neat diesel fuel. From the results it was observed that the ignition delays decreased with increase in concentration of biodiesel in biodiesel blends with diesel. The combustion characteristics of single-fuel for biodiesel and diesel have similar combustion pressure and HRR patterns at different engine loads but it was observed that the peak cylinder pressure and heat release rate were lower for biodiesel blends compared to those of diesel fuel combustion.

  17. Microlayered flow structure around an acoustically levitated droplet under a phase-change process.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hasegawa, Koji; Abe, Yutaka; Goda, Atsushi

    2016-01-01

    The acoustic levitation method (ALM) has found extensive applications in the fields of materials science, analytical chemistry, and biomedicine. This paper describes an experimental investigation of a levitated droplet in a 19.4-kHz single-axis acoustic levitator. We used water, ethanol, water/ethanol mixture, and hexane as test samples to investigate the effect of saturated vapor pressure on the flow field and evaporation process using a high-speed camera. In the case of ethanol, water/ethanol mixtures with initial ethanol fractions of 50 and 70 wt%, and hexane droplets, microlayered toroidal vortexes are generated in the vicinity of the droplet interface. Experimental results indicate the presence of two stages in the evaporation process of ethanol and binary mixture droplets for ethanol content >10%. The internal and external flow fields of the acoustically levitated droplet of pure and binary mixtures are clearly observed. The binary mixture of the levitated droplet shows the interaction between the configurations of the internal and external flow fields of the droplet and the concentration of the volatile fluid. Our findings can contribute to the further development of existing theoretical prediction.

  18. On-chip Magnetic Separation and Cell Encapsulation in Droplets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, A.; Byvank, T.; Bharde, A.; Miller, B. L.; Chalmers, J. J.; Sooryakumar, R.; Chang, W.-J.; Bashir, R.

    2012-02-01

    The demand for high-throughput single cell assays is gaining importance because of the heterogeneity of many cell suspensions, even after significant initial sorting. These suspensions may display cell-to-cell variability at the gene expression level that could impact single cell functional genomics, cancer, stem-cell research and drug screening. The on-chip monitoring of individual cells in an isolated environment could prevent cross-contamination, provide high recovery yield and ability to study biological traits at a single cell level These advantages of on-chip biological experiments contrast to conventional methods, which require bulk samples that provide only averaged information on cell metabolism. We report on a device that integrates microfluidic technology with a magnetic tweezers array to combine the functionality of separation and encapsulation of objects such as immunomagnetically labeled cells or magnetic beads into pico-liter droplets on the same chip. The ability to control the separation throughput that is independent of the hydrodynamic droplet generation rate allows the encapsulation efficiency to be optimized. The device can potentially be integrated with on-chip labeling and/or bio-detection to become a powerful single-cell analysis device.

  19. Modeling of atomization and distribution of drop-liquid fuel in unsteady swirling flows in a combustion chamber and free space

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sviridenkov, A. A.; Toktaliev, P. D.; Tretyakov, V. V.

    2018-03-01

    Numerical and experimental research of atomization and propagation of drop-liquid phase in swirling flow behind the frontal device of combustion chamber was performed. Numerical procedure was based on steady and unsteady Reynolds equations solution. It's shown that better agreement with experimental data could be obtained with unsteady approach. Fractional time step method was implemented to solve Reynolds equations. Models of primary and secondary breakup of liquid fuel jet in swirling flows are formulated and tested. Typical mean sizes of fuel droplets for base operational regime of swirling device and combustion chamber were calculated. Comparison of main features of internal swirling flow in combustion chamber with unbounded swirling flow was made.

  20. Mixing fuel particles for space combustion research using acoustics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burns, Robert J.; Johnson, Jerome A.; Klimek, Robert B.

    1988-01-01

    Part of the microgravity science to be conducted aboard the Shuttle (STS) involves combustion using solids, particles, and liquid droplets. The central experimental facts needed for characterization of premixed quiescent particle cloud flames cannot be adequately established by normal gravity studies alone. The experimental results to date of acoustically mixing a prototypical particulate, lycopodium, in a 5 cm diameter by 75 cm long flame tube aboard a Learjet aircraft flying a 20-sec low-gravity trajectory are described. Photographic and light detector instrumentation combine to measure and characterize particle cloud uniformity.

  1. Droplet localization in the random XXZ model and its manifestations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elgart, A.; Klein, A.; Stolz, G.

    2018-01-01

    We examine many-body localization properties for the eigenstates that lie in the droplet sector of the random-field spin- \\frac 1 2 XXZ chain. These states satisfy a basic single cluster localization property (SCLP), derived in Elgart et al (2018 J. Funct. Anal. (in press)). This leads to many consequences, including dynamical exponential clustering, non-spreading of information under the time evolution, and a zero velocity Lieb-Robinson bound. Since SCLP is only applicable to the droplet sector, our definitions and proofs do not rely on knowledge of the spectral and dynamical characteristics of the model outside this regime. Rather, to allow for a possible mobility transition, we adapt the notion of restricting the Hamiltonian to an energy window from the single particle setting to the many body context.

  2. L2 droplet interaction with α-Al during solidification of hypermonotectic Al-8 wt.% Bi alloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schaffer, P.L.; Mathiesen, R.H.; Arnberg, L.

    2009-01-01

    Studies of Al-based hypermonotectics have so far focused mainly on droplet motion and coagulation dynamics, with limited attention given to the interaction between droplets and the advancing solidification front which is decisive for the final distribution of the second phase within the α-Al matrix. The current work presents results from directional solidification experiments with Al-8 wt.% Bi alloys. It was found that droplets with large radii were frequently pushed and small droplets were engulfed. This is contradictory to the many models that have been proposed to explain pushing/engulfment of solid particles and can in part be ascribed to the fact that while solid-particle models only consider single, non-interacting particles that remain unaffected by solutal gradients ahead of the advancing solidification front, droplet-droplet interaction and local solute gradients have been found to be critical for droplet pushing/engulfment behaviour in hypermonotectic alloys.

  3. Droplet-based microscale colorimetric biosensor for multiplexed DNA analysis via a graphene nanoprobe

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xiang Xia; Luo Ming; Shi Liyang; Ji Xinghu; He Zhike

    2012-01-01

    Graphical abstract: With a microvalve manipulate technique combined with droplet platform, a microscale fluorescence-based colorimetric sensor for multiplexed DNA analysis is developed via a graphene nanoprobe. Highlights: ► A quantitative detection for multiplexed DNA is first realized on droplet platform. ► The DNA detection is relied on a simple fluorescence-based colorimetric method. ► GO is served as a quencher for two different DNA fluorescent probes. ► This present work provides a rapid, sensitive, visual and convenient detection tool for droplet biosensor. - Abstract: The development of simple and inexpensive DNA detection strategy is very significant for droplet-based microfluidic system. Here, a droplet-based biosensor for multiplexed DNA analysis is developed with a common imaging device by using fluorescence-based colorimetric method and a graphene nanoprobe. With the aid of droplet manipulation technique, droplet size adjustment, droplet fusion and droplet trap are realized accurately and precisely. Due to the high quenching efficiency of graphene oxide (GO), in the absence of target DNAs, the droplet containing two single-stranded DNA probes and GO shows dark color, in which the DNA probes are labeled carboxy fluorescein (FAM) and 6-carboxy-X-rhodamine (ROX), respectively. The droplet changes from dark to bright color when the DNA probes form double helix with the specific target DNAs leading to the dyes far away from GO. This colorimetric droplet biosensor exhibits a quantitative capability for simultaneous detection of two different target DNAs with the detection limits of 9.46 and 9.67 × 10 −8 M, respectively. It is also demonstrated that this biosensor platform can become a promising detection tool in high throughput applications with low consumption of reagents. Moreover, the incorporation of graphene nanoprobe and droplet technique can drive the biosensor field one more step to some extent.

  4. Size and velocity measurements in combustion systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Levy, Y.; Timnat, Y.M.

    1986-01-01

    Two-phase flow measurements for size and velocity determination in combustion systems are discussed: the pedestal technique and phase Doppler anemometry (PDA) are described in detail. The experimental apparatus for the pedestal method includes the optical laser-Doppler anemometry (LDA) package and the electronic data acquisition system. The latter comprises three channels for recording the Doppler frequency, and the pedestal amplitude as well as the validation pulse. Results of measurements performed in a dump combustor, into which kerosene droplets were injected, are presented. The principle of the PDA technique is explained and validation experiments, using latex particles, are reported. Finally the two methods are compared

  5. 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.

  6. Contact angle of water droplet on apatite single crystals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suzuki, Takaomi; Hirose, Go; Oishi, Shuji

    2004-01-01

    Contact angles of water droplets on well-formed crystals of strontium and barium chlorapatites, Sr 5 Cl(PO 4 ) 3 and Ba 5 Cl(PO 4 ) 3 , were observed. The contact angles of water on (1 0 1-bar 0) and (1 0 1-bar 1) faces of Sr 5 Cl(PO 4 ) 3 were 74±8 deg. and 53±5 deg. and those on (1 0 1-bar 0) and (1 0 1-bar 1) faces of Ba 5 Cl(PO 4 ) 3 were 52±5 deg. and 33±1 deg., respectively. The surface tensions of the crystals were calculated using Neumann's equation. They were 39.2±50 and 52.0±3.0 mJ m -2 for (1 0 1-bar 0) and (1 0 1-bar 1) faces of Sr 5 Cl(PO 4 ) 3 , 52.5±2.9 and 63.0±0.5 mJ m -2 for (1 0 1-bar 0) and (1 0 1-bar 1) faces of Ba 5 Cl(PO 4 ) 3 , respectively. The (1 0 1-bar 1) face has larger surface tension than (1 0 1-bar 0) face for both crystals. The chlorapatite crystals have tendency to elongate in directions during the crystal growth process, indicating that (1 0 1-bar 0) face is more stable than (1 0 1-bar 1) face. This nature of crystal morphology is consistent with the surface tensions estimated from the water contact angles. The higher density of Ba 5 Cl(PO 4 ) 3 than Sr 5 Cl(PO 4 ) 3 is considered to cause the smaller contact angles of water droplet on Ba 5 Cl(PO 4 ) 3 crystal than that on Sr 5 Cl(PO 4 ) 3 crystal because the attractive force between the heavier atoms brings the larger surface tension of solid

  7. The rheodynamics and combustion of coal-water mixtures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Burdukov, A.P.; Popov, V.I.; Tomilov, V.G.; Fedosenko, V.D. [Russian Academy of Science, Novosibirsk (Russian Federation). Inst. of Thermophysics (Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Science)

    2002-05-01

    Investigation methods for characteristics of movement along the tubes, combustion dynamics and gasification of separate drops were developed for the coal-water mixtures (CWM). The following parameters were determined on the basis of laser heating: thermometric, pyrometric and concentration dynamics of single-drop combustion, complete combustion times, duration of temperature phases of combustion, as well as the moment and temperature of ignition. Information on the combustion mass velocity and gasification products was also obtained using laser heating. 6 refs., 13 figs., 1 tab.

  8. Breakup, instabilities, and dynamics of high-speed droplet under transcritical conditions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yanfei Gao

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available A droplet breakup model is developed for a single droplet introduced into transcritical and strong convective environments. The numerical model takes into account variable thermophysical properties, gas solubility in the liquid phase, and vapor–liquid interfacial thermodynamics. The influences of ambient conditions on droplet breakup characteristics are investigated. The results indicate that (1 the drag acceleration decreases slowly at first and then increases drastically with the initial droplet temperature increasing, but always increases at a constant rate with ambient pressure; (2 the pressure and the drop temperature have similar effects on the Kelvin–Helmholtz and Rayleigh–Taylor wave growth at high pressures (reduced pressure higher than 1.2 and high temperatures (reduced temperature higher than 0.7, but the impact of pressure on the wave growth is relatively stronger than that of droplet temperature at relatively low pressures (reduced pressure lower than 0.8 and low temperatures (reduced temperature lower than 0.63; (3 the temperature significantly affects the surface instability growth at high drop temperatures (reduced temperature higher than 0.7, but has no effect on the instability growth at low temperatures (reduced temperature lower than 0.63.

  9. Investigation of Droplet Deposition for Suspensions Usable for Thermoplastic 3D Printing (T3DP)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scheithauer, Uwe; Johne, Robert; Weingarten, Steven; Schwarzer, Eric; Richter, Hans-Jürgen; Moritz, Tassilo; Michaelis, Alexander

    2018-01-01

    Thermoplastic 3D printing (T3DP) is an additive manufacturing (AM) technology, which can be used for the production of dense single- and especially multi-material components. This becomes possible because of the combination of the precise deposition of small droplets of molten thermoplastic suspensions containing ceramic or metal particles, and a curing mechanism caused on cool down increasing the viscosity. In this paper, the droplet formation behavior of zirconia suspensions for T3DP (82 and 84 wt.%) was investigated. The droplet fusion factor (dff) is introduced to calculate the necessary distance between two droplets to form filament-like structures by fusion of adjacent droplets. Filament-like structures with a smooth surface and a nearly homogeneous cross section were manufactured for both suspensions with a dff of 44% or higher.

  10. Encapsulation of Single Nanoparticle in Fast-Evaporating Micro-droplets Prevents Particle Agglomeration in Nanocomposites.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pan, Ming; Shi, Xinjian; Lyu, Fengjiao; Levy-Wendt, Ben Louis; Zheng, Xiaolin; Tang, Sindy K Y

    2017-08-09

    This work describes the use of fast-evaporating micro-droplets to finely disperse nanoparticles (NPs) in a polymer matrix for the fabrication of nanocomposites. Agglomeration of particles is a key obstacle for broad applications of nanocomposites. The classical approach to ensure the dispersibility of NPs is to modify the surface chemistry of NPs with ligands. The surface properties of NPs are inevitably altered, however. To overcome the trade-off between dispersibility and surface-functionality of NPs, we develop a new approach by dispersing NPs in a volatile solvent, followed by mixing with uncured polymer precursors to form micro-droplet emulsions. Most of these micro-droplets contain no more than one NP per drop, and they evaporate rapidly to prevent the agglomeration of NPs during the polymer curing process. As a proof of concept, we demonstrate the design and fabrication of TiO 2 NP@PDMS nanocomposites for solar fuel generation reactions with high photocatalytic efficiency and recyclability arising from the fine dispersion of TiO 2 . Our simple method eliminates the need for surface functionalization of NPs. Our approach is applicable to prepare nanocomposites comprising a wide range of polymers embedded with NPs of different composition, sizes, and shapes. It has the potential for creating nanocomposites with novel functions.

  11. Ordering and stability in lipid droplets with applications to low-density lipoproteins

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lancaster, Jarrett L.; Antonijevic, Todor; Starobin, Joseph M.

    2014-06-01

    In this article, we present a framework for investigating the order-disorder transition in lipid droplets using the standard Ising model. While a single lipid droplet is itself a complex system whose constituent cholesteryl esters each possesses many degrees of freedom, we present justification for using this effective approach to isolate the underlying physics. It is argued that the behavior of the esters confined within lipid droplets is significantly different from that of a bulk system of similar esters, which is adequately described by continuum mean-field theory in the thermodynamic limit. When the droplet's shell is modeled as an elastic membrane, a simple picture emerges for a transition between two ordered phases within the core which is tuned by the strength of interactions between the esters. Triglyceride concentration is proposed as a variable which strongly influences the strength of interactions between cholesteryl esters within droplets. The possible relevance of this mechanism to the well known atherogenic nature of small low-density lipoprotein particles is discussed in detail.

  12. Field study of a Brownian Demister Unit to reduce aerosol based emission from a Post Combustion CO2 Capture plant

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Khakharia, P.M.; Kvamsdal, H.M.; Da Silva, E.F.; Vlugt, T.J.H.; Goetheer, E.L.V.

    2014-01-01

    Emission of solvent and its degradation products from a typical absorption-desorption based Post Combustion CO2 Capture (PCCC) process is inevitable and thus, an area of growing concern. Recently, it has been pointed out that emissions can also occur by means of aerosol droplets. Conventional

  13. Performance and combustion analysis of Mahua biodiesel on a single cylinder compression ignition engine using electronic fuel injection system

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gunasekaran Anandkumar

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available In this investigation, experiment is carried out on a 1500 rpm constant speed single cylinder Diesel engine. The test is carried out with Neat diesel, neat biodiesel, and blend B20. The engine considered was run with electronic fuel injection system supported by common rail direct injection to obtain high atomization and effective air utilization inside the combustion chamber. The performance of the engine in terms of break thermal efficiency and brake specific energy consumption was found and compared. The B20 blend shows 1.11% decrease in break thermal efficiency and 3.35% increase in brake specific energy consumption than diesel. The combustion characteristics found are in-cylinder pressure, rate of pressure rise, and heat release rate and compared for peak pressure load to understand the nature of combustion process. For each fuel test run, the maximum peak pressure is observed at part load condition. The rate of change of pressure and heat release rate of diesel is high compared to pure biodiesel and B20 blend. The diffusion combustion is observed to be predominant in case of B100 than B20 and Neat diesel.

  14. Butschli Dynamic Droplet System

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Armstrong, R.; Hanczyc, M.

    2013-01-01

    Dynamical oil-water systems such as droplets display lifelike properties and may lend themselves to chemical programming to perform useful work, specifically with respect to the built environment. We present Butschli water-in-oil droplets as a model for further investigation into the development...... reconstructed the Butschli system and observed its life span under a light microscope, observing chemical patterns and droplet behaviors in nearly three hundred replicate experiments. Self-organizing patterns were observed, and during this dynamic, embodied phase the droplets provided a means of introducing...... temporal and spatial order in the system with the potential for chemical programmability. The authors propose that the discrete formation of dynamic droplets, characterized by their lifelike behavior patterns, during a variable window of time (from 30 s to 30 min after the addition of alkaline water...

  15. Photoacoustic absorption spectroscopy of single optically trapped aerosol droplets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Covert, Paul A.; Cremer, Johannes W.; Signorell, Ruth

    2017-08-01

    Photoacoustics have been widely used for the study of aerosol optical properties. To date, these studies have been performed on particle ensembles, with minimal ability to control for particle size. Here, we present our singleparticle photoacoustic spectrometer. The sensitivity and stability of the instrument is discussed, along with results from two experiments that illustrate the unique capabilities of this instrument. In the first experiment, we present a measurement of the particle size-dependence of the photoacoustic response. Our results confirm previous models of aerosol photoacoustics that had yet to be experimentally tested. The second set of results reveals a size-dependence of photochemical processes within aerosols that results from the nanofocusing of light within individual droplets.

  16. Shock wave-induced evaporation of water droplets in a gas-droplet mixture 646

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Goossens, H.W.J.; Cleijne, J.W.; Smolders, H.J.; Dongen, van M.E.H.

    1988-01-01

    A model is presented for the droplet evaporation process induced by a shock wave propagating in a fog. The model is based on the existence of a quasi-steady wet bulb state of the droplets during evaporation. It is shown that for moderate shock strength, Ma = <2,=" and=" droplet=" radii=" in=" the="

  17. Numerical Investigation Into Effect of Fuel Injection Timing on CAI/HCCI Combustion in a Four-Stroke GDI Engine

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cao, Li; Zhao, Hua; Jiang, Xi; Kalian, Navin

    2006-02-01

    The Controlled Auto-Ignition (CAI) combustion, also known as Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI), was achieved by trapping residuals with early exhaust valve closure in conjunction with direct injection. Multi-cycle 3D engine simulations have been carried out for parametric study on four different injection timings in order to better understand the effects of injection timings on in-cylinder mixing and CAI combustion. The full engine cycle simulation including complete gas exchange and combustion processes was carried out over several cycles in order to obtain the stable cycle for analysis. The combustion models used in the present study are the Shell auto-ignition model and the characteristic-time combustion model, which were modified to take the high level of EGR into consideration. A liquid sheet breakup spray model was used for the droplet breakup processes. The analyses show that the injection timing plays an important role in affecting the in-cylinder air/fuel mixing and mixture temperature, which in turn affects the CAI combustion and engine performance.

  18. Diesel Combustion and Emission Using High Boost and High Injection Pressure in a Single Cylinder Engine

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aoyagi, Yuzo; Kunishima, Eiji; Asaumi, Yasuo; Aihara, Yoshiaki; Odaka, Matsuo; Goto, Yuichi

    Heavy-duty diesel engines have adopted numerous technologies for clean emissions and low fuel consumption. Some are direct fuel injection combined with high injection pressure and adequate in-cylinder air motion, turbo-intercooler systems, and strong steel pistons. Using these technologies, diesel engines have achieved an extremely low CO2 emission as a prime mover. However, heavy-duty diesel engines with even lower NOx and PM emission levels are anticipated. This study achieved high-boost and lean diesel combustion using a single cylinder engine that provides good engine performance and clean exhaust emission. The experiment was done under conditions of intake air quantity up to five times that of a naturally aspirated (NA) engine and 200MPa injection pressure. The adopted pressure booster is an external supercharger that can control intake air temperature. In this engine, the maximum cylinder pressure was increased and new technologies were adopted, including a monotherm piston for endurance of Pmax =30MPa. Moreover, every engine part is newly designed. As the boost pressure increases, the rate of heat release resembles the injection rate and becomes sharper. The combustion and brake thermal efficiency are improved. This high boost and lean diesel combustion creates little smoke; ISCO and ISTHC without the ISNOx increase. It also yields good thermal efficiency.

  19. Droplet trapping and fast acoustic release in a multi-height device with steady-state flow.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rambach, Richard W; Linder, Kevin; Heymann, Michael; Franke, Thomas

    2017-10-11

    We demonstrate a novel multilayer polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) device for selective storage and release of single emulsion droplets. Drops are captured in a microchannel cavity and can be released on-demand through a triggered surface acoustic wave pulse. The surface acoustic wave (SAW) is excited by a tapered interdigital transducer (TIDT) deposited on a piezoelectric lithium niobate (LiNbO 3 ) substrate and inverts the pressure difference across the cavity trap to push a drop out of the trap and back into the main flow channel. Droplet capture and release does not require a flow rate change, flow interruption, flow inversion or valve action and can be achieved in as fast as 20 ms. This allows both on-demand droplet capture for analysis and monitoring over arbitrary time scales, and continuous device operation with a high droplet rate of 620 drops per s. We hence decouple long-term droplet interrogation from other operations on the chip. This will ease integration with other microfluidic droplet operations and functional components.

  20. 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.

  1. Design and characterization of a microreactor for monodisperse catalytic droplet generation at both elevated temperatures and pressures

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Vollenbroek, J. C.; Bomer, Johan G.; Van Den Berg, A.; Odijk, M.; Nieuwelink, A. E.; Weckhuysen, Bert M.; Geitenbeek, R. G.; Tiggelaar, R. M.

    2017-01-01

    We report the fabrication and characterization of a microfluidic droplet microreactor with potential use for single catalyst particle diagnostics. The aim is to capture Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC) particles in droplets and perform a probe reaction that results in a fluorescent output signal. The

  2. 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.

  3. Droplet behavior analysis in consideration of droplet entrainment from liquid film in annular dispersed flow

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matsuura, Keizo; Otake, Hiroshi; Kataoka, Isao; Serizawa, Akimi

    2000-01-01

    A method of droplet behavior simulation in an annular dispersed flow has been developed. In this method, both droplet deposition and entrainment from liquid film are considered. The Lagrangian method and stochastic model are used to analyze droplet diffusion and deposition behavior in a turbulent flow, and droplet entrainment from liquid film is calculated by an entrainment correlation. For the verification of this method, Gill's experiment is analyzed, in which the transition from annular flow with no entrainment to equilibrium annular dispersed flow was observed. Analysis results can also show the similar transition tendency. The experimental results of radial distribution of droplet mass flux are compared with analysis results. The agreement is good for low liquid flow rate, but entrainment rate must be adjusted for high liquid flow rate, in which gas turbulence is thought to be modified by high droplet density. In future work the effect of high droplet density on turbulence should be considered. (author)

  4. Jumping-droplet electronics hot-spot cooling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oh, Junho; Birbarah, Patrick; Foulkes, Thomas; Yin, Sabrina L.; Rentauskas, Michelle; Neely, Jason; Pilawa-Podgurski, Robert C. N.; Miljkovic, Nenad

    2017-03-01

    Demand for enhanced cooling technologies within various commercial and consumer applications has increased in recent decades due to electronic devices becoming more energy dense. This study demonstrates jumping-droplet based electric-field-enhanced (EFE) condensation as a potential method to achieve active hot spot cooling in electronic devices. To test the viability of EFE condensation, we developed an experimental setup to remove heat via droplet evaporation from single and multiple high power gallium nitride (GaN) transistors acting as local hot spots (4.6 mm × 2.6 mm). An externally powered circuit was developed to direct jumping droplets from a copper oxide (CuO) nanostructured superhydrophobic surface to the transistor hot spots by applying electric fields between the condensing surface and the transistor. Heat transfer measurements were performed in ambient air (22-25 °C air temperature, 20%-45% relative humidity) to determine the effect of gap spacing (2-4 mm), electric field (50-250 V/cm) and applied heat flux (demonstrated to 13 W/cm2). EFE condensation was shown to enhance the heat transfer from the local hot spot by ≈200% compared to cooling without jumping and by 20% compared to non-EFE jumping. Dynamic switching of the electric field for a two-GaN system reveals the potential for active cooling of mobile hot spots. The opportunity for further cooling enhancement by the removal of non-condensable gases promises hot spot heat dissipation rates approaching 120 W/cm2. This work provides a framework for the development of active jumping droplet based vapor chambers and heat pipes capable of spatial and temporal thermal dissipation control.

  5. Jumping-droplet electronics hot-spot cooling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oh, Junho; Birbarah, Patrick; Foulkes, Thomas; Yin, Sabrina L.; Rentauskas, Michelle

    2017-01-01

    Demand for enhanced cooling technologies within various commercial and consumer applications has increased in recent decades due to electronic devices becoming more energy dense. This study demonstrates jumping-droplet based electric-field-enhanced (EFE) condensation as a potential method to achieve active hot spot cooling in electronic devices. To test the viability of EFE condensation, we developed an experimental setup to remove heat via droplet evaporation from single and multiple high power gallium nitride (GaN) transistors acting as local hot spots (4.6 mm x 2.6 mm). An externally powered circuit was developed to direct jumping droplets from a copper oxide (CuO) nanostructured superhydrophobic surface to the transistor hot spots by applying electric fields between the condensing surface and the transistor. Heat transfer measurements were performed in ambient air (22-25°C air temperature, 20-45% relative humidity) to determine the effect of gap spacing (2-4 mm), electric field (50-250 V/cm), and heat flux (demonstrated to 13 W/cm"2). EFE condensation was shown to enhance the heat transfer from the local hot spot by ≈ 200% compared to cooling without jumping and by 20% compared to non-EFE jumping. Dynamic switching of the electric field for a two-GaN system reveals the potential for active cooling of mobile hot spots. The opportunity for further cooling enhancement by the removal of non-condensable gases promises hot spot heat dissipation rates approaching 120 W/cm"2. Finally, this work provides a framework for the development of active jumping droplet based vapor chambers and heat pipes capable of spatial and temporal thermal dissipation control.

  6. All-polymer microfluidic systems for droplet based sample analysis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Poulsen, Carl Esben

    In this PhD project, I pursued to develop an all-polymer injection moulded microfluidic platform with integrated droplet based single cell interrogation. To allow for a proper ”one device - one experiment” methodology and to ensure a high relevancy to non-academic settings, the systems presented ...

  7. Numerical investigation for combustion characteristics of vacuum residue (VR) in a test furnace

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sreedhara, S.; Huh, Kang Y.; Park, Hoyoung

    2007-01-01

    It has become inevitable to search for alternative fuels due to current worldwide energy crisis. In this paper combustion characteristics of vacuum residue (VR) is investigated numerically against experimental data in typical operating conditions of a furnace. Heat release reaction is modeled as sequential steps of devolatilization, simplified gas phase reaction and char oxidation as for pulverized coal. Thermal and fuel NO are predicted by the conditional moment closure (CMC) method for estimation of elementary reaction rates. It turns out that Sauter mean diameter (SMD) of VR droplets is a crucial parameter for better combustion efficiency and lower NO. Reasonable agreement is achieved for spatial distributions of major species, temperature and NO for all test cases with different fuel and steam flow rates

  8. ANALYSIS OF INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE WITH A NEW CONCEPT OF POROUS MEDIUM COMBUSTION FOR THE FUTURE CLEAN ENGINE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ashok A Dhale

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available At present, the emissions of internal combustion engine can only be improved by catalytic treatments of the exhaust gases. Such treatments, however, result in high costs and relatively low conversion efficiency. This suggests that a new combustion technique should be developed to yield improved primary combustion processes inside the engine with drastically reduced exhaust gas emissions. To fulfill all requirements, Dr. Franz Drust has proposed a new combustion concept to perform homogenous combustion in internal combustion engines. This concept used the porous medium combustion technique and is called "PM-engine". It is shown that the PM combustion technique can be applied to internal combustion engines. Theoretical considerations are presented for internal combustion engines, indicating that an overall improvement in thermal efficiency can be achieved for the PM-engine. This is explained and general performance of the new PM-engines is demonstrated for a single cylinder, water cooled, direct injection diesel engine. Verification of experiments at primary stage is described that were carried out as a part of the present study.

  9. 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

  10. Source of temperature and pressure pulsations during sessile droplet evaporation into multicomponent atmospheres.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Persad, Aaron H; Sefiane, Khellil; Ward, Charles A

    2013-10-29

    During sessile droplet evaporation, studies with IR thermography and shadowgraphs have indicated temperature pulsations. We confirm those observations with microthermocouples, but microthermocouples also indicate temperature pulsations in the atmosphere of the droplet. The pressure in this atmosphere pulsated as well and was correlated with the temperature pulsations in the droplet. Also, we find that if a droplet evaporates into its own vapor, there are no temperature or pressure pulsations. The pulsations occur only if the droplet evaporates into an atmosphere with a component having a heat of solution with the droplet when it adsorbs-absorbs. None of the currently proposed mechanisms for the temperature pulsations provide an explanation for the coupling between the temperature pulsations in the droplet and the vapor-phase pressure pulsations, and for the absence of the pulsations when the system is single-component. As a mechanism for the pulsations, we propose that when a droplet is exposed to an atmosphere containing a component that has a heat of solution with the droplet, energy will be released from adsorption-absorption. This energy will cause pulsations in the evaporation flux, and these pulsations could cause the observed temperature and pressure pulsations. We examine this mechanism by showing that, if the measured temperature pulsations in a water droplet exposed to a methanol atmosphere are used as the input to a theory of evaporation kinetics (statistical rate theory), the pressure pulsations of the water vapor in the methanol atmosphere are predicted and agree with those measured with a quadrupole mass analyzer. When the inputs and outputs are reversed in the theory, we find that the temperature pulsations in the droplet are correctly predicted from the measured water vapor pulsations in the atmosphere.

  11. 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.

  12. Film Levitation of Droplet Impact on Heated Nanotube Surfaces

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duan, Fei; Tong, Wei; Qiu, Lu

    2017-11-01

    Contact boiling of an impacting droplet impacting on a heated surface can be observed when the surface temperature is able to activate the nucleation and growth of vapor bubbles, the phenomena are related to nature and industrial application. The dynamic boiling patterns us is investigated when a single falling water droplet impacts on a heated titanium (Ti) surface covered with titanium oxide (TiO2) nanotubes. In the experiments, the droplets were generated from a flat-tipped needle connected to a syringe mounted on a syringe pump. The droplet diameter and velocity before impacting on the heated surface are measured by a high-speed camera with the Weber number is varied from 45 to 220. The dynamic wetting length, spreading diameter, levitation distance, and the associated parameter are measured. Interesting film levitation on titanium (Ti) surface has been revealed. The comparison of the phase diagrams on the nanotube surface and bare Ti surface suggests that the dynamic Leidenfrost point of the surface with the TiO2 nanotubes has been significantly delayed as compared to that on a bare Ti surface. The delay is inferred to result from the increase in the surface wettability and the capillary effect by the nanoscale tube structure. The further relation is discussed.

  13. Fluidized bed combustion of single coal char particles at high CO{sub 2} concentration

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Scala, F.; Chirone, R. [CNR, Naples (Italy)

    2010-12-15

    Combustion of single coal char particles was studied at 850{sup o}C in a lab-scale fluidized bed at high CO{sub 2} concentration, typical of oxyfiring conditions. The burning rate of the particles was followed as a function of time by continuously measuring the outlet CO and O{sub 2} concentrations. Some preliminary evaluations on the significance of homogeneous CO oxidation in the reactor and of carbon gasification by CO{sub 2} in the char were also carried out. Results showed that the carbon burning rate increases with oxygen concentration and char particle size. The particle temperature is approximately equal to that of the bed up to an oxygen concentration of 2%, but it is considerably higher for larger oxygen concentrations. Both CO{sub 2} gasification of char and homogeneous CO oxidation are not negligible. The gasification reaction rate is slow and it is likely to be controlled by intrinsic kinetics. During purely gasification conditions the extent of carbon loss due to particle attrition by abrasion (estimated from the carbon mass balance) appears to be much more important than under combustion conditions.

  14. The effect of insulated combustion chamber surfaces on direct-injected diesel engine performance, emissions, and combustion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dickey, Daniel W.; Vinyard, Shannon; Keribar, Rifat

    1988-01-01

    The combustion chamber of a single-cylinder, direct-injected diesel engine was insulated with ceramic coatings to determine the effect of low heat rejection (LHR) operation on engine performance, emissions, and combustion. In comparison to the baseline cooled engine, the LHR engine had lower thermal efficiency, with higher smoke, particulate, and full load carbon monoxide emissions. The unburned hydrocarbon emissions were reduced across the load range. The nitrous oxide emissions increased at some part-load conditions and were reduced slightly at full loads. The poor LHR engine performance was attributed to degraded combustion characterized by less premixed burning, lower heat release rates, and longer combustion duration compared to the baseline cooled engine.

  15. Design of a single cylinder optical access to the combustion engine Scania D12

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fuchs, Juergen

    2000-11-01

    In this work a maximum optical access to a diesel engine is developed. The combustion-process in the engine should be representative to the one in a standard engine, so the geometry of the combustion chamber is modified as little as possible. A Scania single cylinder, 2-litre engine was subjected to modifications allowing the optical access. Solutions to these problems are obtained by using the method of Product-Development, mainly based on the literature by Prof Dr.-Ing. Birkhofer at the Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany. An optical engine design of the Bowditch type was the chosen main working principle. This engine contains an extended cylinder, partly made of glass, a glass piston-crown and a mirror placed inside the extended piston. The laser sheet is led into the combustion chamber through the glass part of the cylinder, then gets reflected inside the combustion chamber and is led through the glass piston crown and via the mirror out of the engine. A redesign of the valve-train, using extended push-rods, is necessary. The demand to examine the combustion at Top-Dead-Centre (TDC) and the necessity of supporting the glass, give the reasons to do work on the cylinder head. This in return brings sealing problems, which have been solved. Another problem that occurs with that type of engine is that is has to run without oil-lubrication. Piston rings made of Rylon are used to solve this problem. A special feature of the engine that has been constructed here is that the inner surface of the glass may be cleaned without removing the cylinder head. This is obtained by a construction with a movable cylinder. In cleaning-state the cylinder is driven up and down together with the piston, while the head is supported by an outer structure. When running the engine, the cylinder is fixed to the structure. Furthermore this report contains the necessary calculations and integrity assessments on the critical parts of the construction. All calculations, except the

  16. FY 1996 result report. Research/development on the creation of high-grade combustion technology using a microgravity environment; 1996 nendo seika hokokusho. Bisho juryoku kankyo wo riyoshita kodo nensho gijutsu soshutsu ni kansuru kenkyu kaihatsu

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1997-03-01

    With the aim of creating high-grade combustion technology which can respond to the decrease in environmental pollutant in combustion exhaust gas, the high-grade combustion technology research development committee was established inside JSUP (Japan Space Utilization Promotion Center), using the underground gravity-free test center. Following FY 1995, the following were conducted: (1) international joint research with NASA, and (2) tests using microgravity test facilities, etc. and analysis/evaluation of the test data. As to the international joint research, a lot of new information was obtained through the adjustment conference with NASA. Further, there were a lot of results obtained from joint tests and researches. Moreover, the leading experimental device and measuring device which are usable in the microgravity field were developed/prepared. Conducted were combustion/evaporation evaluation experiments on fuel droplet and groups of droplet, combustion characteristics elucidation evaluation experiments on high-density fuels, evaluation experiment on flammability limits, and elucidation evaluation experiments on emission mechanism of NOx, etc. Through those, abundant experimental data were able to be accumulated, and a lot of precious knowledge/information were obtained. Besides, the fabrication of high-class combustor test equipment for ground demonstration was started. (NEDO)

  17. Hydrodynamics of a quark droplet

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bjerrum-Bohr, Johan J.; Mishustin, Igor N.; Døssing, Thomas

    2012-01-01

    We present a simple model of a multi-quark droplet evolution based on the hydrodynamical description. This model includes collective expansion of the droplet, effects of the vacuum pressure and surface tension. The hadron emission from the droplet is described following Weisskopf's statistical...

  18. Modeling of heat release and emissions from droplet combustion of multi component fuels in compression ignition engines

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ivarsson, Anders

    emissions from the compression ignition engines (CI engines or diesel engines) are continuously increased. To comply with this, better modeling tools for the diesel combustion process are desired from the engine developers. The complex combustion process of a compression ignition engine may be divided...... it is well suited for optical line of sight diagnostics in both pre and post combustion regions. The work also includes some preliminary studies of radiant emissions from helium stabilized ethylene/air and methane/oxygen flames. It is demonstrated that nano particles below the sooting threshold actually...... of ethylene/air flames well known from the experimental work, was used for the model validation. Two cases were helium stabilized flames with φ = 1 and 2.14. The third case was an unstable flame with φ = 2.14. The unstable case was used to test whether a transient model would be able to predict the frequency...

  19. Microwave-assisted combustion synthesis of NiAl intermetallics in a single mode applicator: Modeling and optimisation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Poli, G.; Sola, R.; Veronesi, P.

    2006-01-01

    The microwave-assisted combustion synthesis of NiAl intermetallics in a single mode applicator has been simulated numerically and performed with the aim of achieving the highest yields, energy efficiency and process reproducibility. The electromagnetic field modeling of the microwave system allowed to chose the proper experimental set-up and the materials more suitable for the application, minimising the reflected power and the risks of arcing. In all the experimental conditions tested, conversions of 3-5 g 1:1 atomic ratio Ni and Al powder compacts into NiAl ranged from 98.7% to 100%, requiring from 30 to 180 s with power from 500 to 1500 W. The optimisation procedure allowed to determine and quantify the effects of the main process variables on the ignition time, the NiAl yields and the specific energy consumption, leading to a fast, reproducible and cost-effective process of microwave-assisted combustion synthesis of NiAl intermetallics

  20. Evaporation of inclined water droplets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Jin Young; Hwang, In Gyu; Weon, Byung Mook

    2017-01-01

    When a drop is placed on a flat substrate tilted at an inclined angle, it can be deformed by gravity and its initial contact angle divides into front and rear contact angles by inclination. Here we study on evaporation dynamics of a pure water droplet on a flat solid substrate by controlling substrate inclination and measuring mass and volume changes of an evaporating droplet with time. We find that complete evaporation time of an inclined droplet becomes longer as gravitational influence by inclination becomes stronger. The gravity itself does not change the evaporation dynamics directly, whereas the gravity-induced droplet deformation increases the difference between front and rear angles, which quickens the onset of depinning and consequently reduces the contact radius. This result makes the evaporation rate of an inclined droplet to be slow. This finding would be important to improve understanding on evaporation dynamics of inclined droplets. PMID:28205642

  1. Magnetowetting and sliding motion of a sessile ferrofluid droplet in the presence of a permanent magnet.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nguyen, Nam-Trung; Zhu, Guiping; Chua, Yong-Chin; Phan, Vinh-Nguyen; Tan, Say-Hwa

    2010-08-03

    Motion of a droplet on a planar surface has applications in droplet-based lab on a chip technology. This paper reports the experimental results of the shape, contact angles, and motion of ferrofluid droplets driven by a permanent magnet on a planar homogeneous surface. The water-based ferrofluid in use is a colloidal suspension of single-domain magnetic nanoparticles. The effect of the magnetic field on the apparent contact angle of the ferrofluid droplet was first investigated. The results show that an increasing magnetic flux decreases the apparent contact angle of a sessile ferrofluid droplet. Next, the dynamic contact angle was investigated by observing the shape and the motion of a sessile ferrofluid droplet. The advancing and receding contact angles of the moving ferrofluid were measured at different moving speeds and magnetic field strengths. The measured contact angles were used to estimate the magnitude of the forces involved in the sliding motion. Scaling analysis was carried out to derive the critical velocity, beyond which the droplet is not able to catch up with the moving magnet.

  2. Liquid droplet radiator technology issues

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mattick, A.T.; Hertzberg, A.

    1985-01-01

    The operation of the liquid droplet radiator (LDR) is analyzed to establish design constraints for the LDR components and to predict the performance of an integrated LDR system. The design constraints largely result from mass loss considerations: fluid choice is governed by evaporation loss; droplet generation techniques must be capable of precise aiming of >10 5 droplet streams; and collection losses must be less than 1 droplet in 10 7 . Concepts for droplet generation and collection components are discussed and incorporated into a mass model for an LDR system. This model predicts that LDR's using lithium, Dow 705 silicone fluid, or NaK may be several times lighter than heat pipe radiators. 13 refs

  3. Investigation on the liquid water droplet instability in a simulated flow channel of PEM fuel cell

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ha, Tae Hun; Kim, Bok Yung; Kim, Han Sang; Min, Kyoung Doug

    2008-01-01

    To investigate the characteristics of water droplets on the gas diffusion layer from both top-view and side-view of the flow channel, a rig test apparatus was designed and fabricated with prism attached plate. This experimental device was used to simulate the growth of a single liquid water droplet and its transport process with various air flow velocity and channel height. Not only dry condition but also fully humidified condition was also simulated by using a water absorbing sponge. The detachment height of the water droplet with dry and wet conditions was measured and analyzed. It was found that the droplet tends towards becoming unstable by decreased channel height, increased flow velocity or making a gas diffusion layer (GDL) dryer. Also, peculiar behavior of the water droplet in the channel was presented like attachment to hydrophilic wall or sudden breaking of droplet in case of fully hydrated condition. The simplified force balance model matches with experimental data as well

  4. 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

  5. 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.

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

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    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.

  7. 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

  8. Numerical simulation of combustion and soot under partially premixed combustion of low-octane gasoline

    KAUST Repository

    An, Yanzhao

    2017-09-23

    In-cylinder combustion visualization and engine-out soot particle emissions were investigated in an optical diesel engine fueled with low octane gasoline. Single injection strategy with an early injection timing (−30 CAD aTDC) was employed to achieve partially premixed combustion (PPC) condition. A high-speed color camera was used to record the combustion images for 150 cycles. The regulated emission of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and soot mass concentration were measured experimentally. Full cycle engine simulations were performed using CONVERGE™ and the simulation results matched with the experimental results. The in-cylinder soot particle evolution was performed by coupling a reduced toluene reference fuel mechanism including the PAHs formation/oxidation reactions with particulate size mimic model. The results showed that PPC presents typical stratified combustion characteristics, which is significantly different from the conventional diesel spray-driven combustion. The in-cylinder temperature and equivalence ratio overlaid with soot-NO formation regime revealed that PPC operating condition under study mostly avoided the main sooting conditions throughout the entire combustion. The evaluation of temperature distribution showed formaldehyde could be regarded as an indicator for low temperature reactions, while hydroxyl group represents the high temperature reactions. Soot evolution happened during the combustion process, hydroxyl radicals promoted the soot oxidation.

  9. Numerical simulation of combustion and soot under partially premixed combustion of low-octane gasoline

    KAUST Repository

    An, Yanzhao; Jaasim, Mohammed; Vallinayagam, R.; Vedharaj, S.; Im, Hong G.; Johansson, Bengt.

    2017-01-01

    In-cylinder combustion visualization and engine-out soot particle emissions were investigated in an optical diesel engine fueled with low octane gasoline. Single injection strategy with an early injection timing (−30 CAD aTDC) was employed to achieve partially premixed combustion (PPC) condition. A high-speed color camera was used to record the combustion images for 150 cycles. The regulated emission of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and soot mass concentration were measured experimentally. Full cycle engine simulations were performed using CONVERGE™ and the simulation results matched with the experimental results. The in-cylinder soot particle evolution was performed by coupling a reduced toluene reference fuel mechanism including the PAHs formation/oxidation reactions with particulate size mimic model. The results showed that PPC presents typical stratified combustion characteristics, which is significantly different from the conventional diesel spray-driven combustion. The in-cylinder temperature and equivalence ratio overlaid with soot-NO formation regime revealed that PPC operating condition under study mostly avoided the main sooting conditions throughout the entire combustion. The evaluation of temperature distribution showed formaldehyde could be regarded as an indicator for low temperature reactions, while hydroxyl group represents the high temperature reactions. Soot evolution happened during the combustion process, hydroxyl radicals promoted the soot oxidation.

  10. Resolving incomplete single nucleotide polymorphism tagging of HLA-DQ2.2 for coeliac disease genotyping using digital droplet PCR.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hardy, M Y; Ontiveros, N; Varney, M D; Tye-Din, J A

    2018-04-01

    A hallmark of coeliac disease (CD) is the exceptionally strong genetic association with HLA-DQ2.5, DQ8, and DQ2.2. HLA typing provides information on CD risk important to both clinicians and researchers. A method that enables simple and fast detection of all CD risk genotypes is particularly desirable for the study of large populations. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based HLA typing can detect the CD risk genotypes by detecting a combination of six SNPs but this approach can struggle to resolve HLA-DQ2.2, seen in 4% of European CD patients, because of the low resolution of one negatively predicting SNP. We sought to optimise SNP-based HLA typing by harnessing the additional resolution of digital droplet PCR to resolve HLA-DQ2.2. Here we test this two-step approach in an unselected sample of Mexican DNA and compare its accuracy to DNA typed using traditional exon detection. The addition of digital droplet PCR for samples requiring negative prediction of HLA-DQ2.2 enabled HLA-DQ2.2 to be accurately typed. This technique is a simple addition to a SNP-based typing strategy and enables comprehensive definition of all at-risk HLA genotypes in CD in a timely and cost-effective manner. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  11. Flow and Combustion in Advanced Gas Turbine Combustors

    CERN Document Server

    Janicka, Johannes; Schäfer, Michael; Heeger, Christof

    2013-01-01

    With regard to both the environmental sustainability and operating efficiency demands, modern combustion research has to face two main objectives, the optimization of combustion efficiency and the reduction of pollutants. This book reports on the combustion research activities carried out within the Collaborative Research Center (SFB) 568 “Flow and Combustion in Future Gas Turbine Combustion Chambers” funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). This aimed at designing a completely integrated modeling and numerical simulation of the occurring very complex, coupled and interacting physico-chemical processes, such as turbulent heat and mass transport, single or multi-phase flows phenomena, chemical reactions/combustion and radiation, able to support the development of advanced gas turbine chamber concepts.

  12. 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

  13. Scattering theory of walking droplets in the presence of obstacles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dubertrand, Rémy; Hubert, Maxime; Schlagheck, Peter; Vandewalle, Nicolas; Bastin, Thierry; Martin, John

    2016-01-01

    We aim to describe a droplet bouncing on a vibrating bath using a simple and highly versatile model inspired from quantum mechanics. Close to the Faraday instability, a long-lived surface wave is created at each bounce, which serves as a pilot wave for the droplet. This leads to so called walking droplets or walkers. Since the seminal experiment by Couder et al (2006 Phys. Rev. Lett. 97 154101) there have been many attempts to accurately reproduce the experimental results.We propose to describe the trajectories of a walker using a Green function approach. The Green function is related to the Helmholtz equation with Neumann boundary conditions on the obstacle(s) and outgoing boundary conditions at infinity. For a single-slit geometry our model is exactly solvable and reproduces some general features observed experimentally. It stands for a promising candidate to account for the presence of arbitrary boundaries in the walker’s dynamics. (paper)

  14. LES of n-Dodecane Spray Combustion Using a Multiple Representative Interactive Flamelets Model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Davidovic Marco

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available A single-hole n-dodecane spray flame is studied in a Large-Eddy Simulation (LES framework under Diesel-relevant conditions using a Multiple Representative Interactive Flamelets (MRIF combustion model. Diesel spray combustion is strongly affected by the mixture formation process, which is dominated by several physical processes such as the flow within the injector, break-up of the liquid fuel jet, evaporation and turbulent mixing with the surrounding gas. While the effects of nozzle-internal flow and primary breakup are captured within tuned model parameters in traditional Lagrangian spray models, an alternative approach is applied in this study, where the initial droplet conditions and primary fuel jet breakup are modeled based on results from highly resolved multiphase simulations with resolved interface. A highly reduced chemical mechanism consisting of 57 species and 217 reactions has been developed for n-dodecane achiving a good computational performance at solving the chemical reactions. The MRIF model, which has demonstrated its capability of capturing combustion and pollutant formation under typical Diesel conditions in Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS simulations is extended for the application in LES. In the standard RIF combustion model, representative chemistry conditioned on mixture fraction is solved interactively with the flow. Subfilter-scale mixing is modeled by the scalar dissipation rate. While the standard RIF model only includes temporal changes of the scalar dissipation rate, the spatial distribution can be accounted for by extending the model to multiple flamelets, which also enables the possibility of capturing different fuel residence times. Overall, the model shows good agreement with experimental data regarding both, low and high temperature combustion characteristics. It is shown that the ignition process and pollutant formation are affected by turbulent mixing. First, a cool flame is initiated at approximately

  15. 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

  16. 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.

  17. 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

  18. Spray and atomization of diesel fuel and its alternatives from a single-hole injector using a common rail fuel injection system

    KAUST Repository

    Chen, PinChia

    2013-01-01

    Fuel spray and atomization characteristics play an important role in the performance of internal combustion engines. As the reserves of petroleum fuel are expected to be depleted within a few decades, finding alternative fuels that are economically viable and sustainable to replace the petroleum fuel has attracted much research attention. In this work, the spray and atomization characteristics were investigated for commercial No. 2 diesel fuel, biodiesel (FAME) derived from waste cooking oil (B100), 20% biodiesel blended diesel fuel (B20), renewable diesel fuel produced in house, and civil aircraft jet fuel (Jet-A). Droplet diameters and particle size distributions were measured by a laser diffraction particle analyzing system and the spray tip penetrations and cone angles were acquired using a high speed imaging technique. All experiments were conducted by employing a common-rail high-pressure fuel injection system with a single-hole nozzle under room temperature and pressure. The experimental results showed that biodiesel and jet fuel had different features compared with diesel. Longer spray tip penetration and larger droplet diameters were observed for B100. The smaller droplet size of the Jet-A were believed to be caused by its relatively lower viscosity and surface tension. B20 showed similar characteristics to diesel but with slightly larger droplet sizes and shorter tip penetration. Renewable diesel fuel showed closer droplet size and spray penetration to Jet-A with both smaller than diesel. As a result, optimizing the trade-off between spray volume and droplet size for different fuels remains a great challenge. However, high-pressure injection helps to optimize the trade-off of spray volume and droplet sizes. Furthermore, it was observed that the smallest droplets were within a region near the injector nozzle tip and grew larger along the axial and radial direction. The variation of droplet diameters became smaller with increasing injection pressure.

  19. Selfbound quantum droplets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Langen, Tim; Wenzel, Matthias; Schmitt, Matthias; Boettcher, Fabian; Buehner, Carl; Ferrier-Barbut, Igor; Pfau, Tilman

    2017-04-01

    Self-bound many-body systems are formed through a balance of attractive and repulsive forces and occur in many physical scenarios. Liquid droplets are an example of a self-bound system, formed by a balance of the mutual attractive and repulsive forces that derive from different components of the inter-particle potential. On the basis of the recent finding that an unstable bosonic dipolar gas can be stabilized by a repulsive many-body term, it was predicted that three-dimensional self-bound quantum droplets of magnetic atoms should exist. Here we report on the observation of such droplets using dysprosium atoms, with densities 108 times lower than a helium droplet, in a trap-free levitation field. We find that this dilute magnetic quantum liquid requires a minimum, critical number of atoms, below which the liquid evaporates into an expanding gas as a result of the quantum pressure of the individual constituents. Consequently, around this critical atom number we observe an interaction-driven phase transition between a gas and a self-bound liquid in the quantum degenerate regime with ultracold atoms.

  20. 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.

  1. Large-eddy simulations of turbulent flows in internal combustion engines

    Science.gov (United States)

    Banaeizadeh, Araz

    The two-phase compressible scalar filtered mass density function (FMDF) model is further developed and employed for large-eddy simulations (LES) of turbulent spray combustion in internal combustion (IC) engines. In this model, the filtered compressible Navier-Stokes equations are solved in a generalized curvilinear coordinate system with high-order, multi-block, compact differencing schemes for the turbulent velocity and pressure. However, turbulent mixing and combustion are computed with a new two-phase compressible scalar FMDF model. The spray and droplet dispersion/evaporation are modeled with a Lagrangian method. A new Lagrangian-Eulerian-Lagrangian computational method is employed for solving the flow, spray and scalar equation. The pressure effect in the energy equation, as needed in compressible flows, is included in the FMDF formulation. The performance of the new compressible LES/FMDF model is assessed by simulating the flow field and scalar mixing in a rapid compression machine (RCM), in a shock tube and in a supersonic co-axial jet. Consistency of temperatures predicted by the Eulerian finite-difference (FD) and Lagrangian Monte Carlo (MC) parts of the LES/FMDF model are established by including the pressure on the FMDF. It is shown that the LES/FMDF model is able to correctly capture the scalar mixing in both compressible subsonic and supersonic flows. Using the new two-phase LES/FMDF model, fluid dynamics, heat transfer, spray and combustion in the RCM with flat and crevice piston are studied. It is shown that the temperature distribution in the RCM with crevice piston is more uniform than the RCM with flat piston. The fuel spray characteristics and the spray parameters affecting the fuel mixing inside the RCM in reacting and non-reacting flows are also studied. The predicted liquid penetration and flame lift-off lengths for respectively non-reacting and reacting sprays are found to compare well with the available experimental data. Temperatures and

  2. CFD Modeling of Fuel Injection and Combustion in an HDDI Engine

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rijk, E.

    2009-07-01

    In this study, the Star-CD CFD package is first used to model spray formation in a constant volume chamber and in a cycle of a heavy duty direct injection (HDDI) engine. Secondly, combustion is modeled using a standard Star-CD combustion model and a user-defined tabulated chemistry method (FGM). In modern diesel engines, fuel is injected into the combustion chamber by an injector, at a high pressure. As the fuel flows through this nozzle, phenomena like cavitation can occur influencing the injection velocity. When the liquid fuel jet exits the nozzle, it breaks up into droplets, which is called primary break-up. Due to the velocity difference between the in-cylinder air and these droplets, they break-up even further, called secondary break-up. The high temperature in the combustion chamber make the droplets evaporate until a point is reached where no liquid fuel is present anymore (liquid length). Hereafter, the evaporated fuel penetrates further (fuel penetration) and at some point in time, the spray auto-ignites. In Star-CD, different sub-models are present to simulate nozzle flow, primary and secondary break-up in a Eulerian-Lagrangian framework. The best performing sub-models are determined by comparing measured liquid length and fuel penetration with calculated values. To be able to do this objectively, a virtual Mie scattering method is developed and applied, together with a previously designed virtual Schlieren method. Using this optimal combination of sub-models, a sensitivity study is performed as previous research revealed that CFD calculations can be highly mesh and timestep dependent. When the optimal settings are known, the Star-CD spray results are validated with experimental data containing a wide range of nozzle diameters, ambient conditions, injection pressures and fuel types. Next to Star-CD, non-Lagrangian models are used to calculate liquid length and spray penetration. It appears that the accuracies of Star-CD and the non-Lagrangian model of

  3. Heat transfer in heterogeneous propellant combustion systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brewster, M.Q.

    1992-01-01

    This paper reports that heat transfer plays an important role in several critical areas of heterogeneous, solid-propellant combustion systems. These areas include heat feedback to the propellant surface, heat transfer between burning aluminum droplets and their surroundings, heat transfer to internal insulation systems, and heat transfer to aft-end equipment. Gas conduction dominates heat feedback to the propellant surface in conventional ammonium perchlorate (AP) composite propellants, although particle radiative feedback also plays a significant role in combustion of metalized propellants. Particle radiation plays a dominant role in heat transfer to internal insulation, compared with that of convection. However, conduction by impingement of burning aluminum particles, which has not been extensively studied, may also be significant. Radiative heat loss plays an important role in determining the burning rate of molten aluminum particles due to a highly luminous, oxide particle-laden, detached flame envelope. Radiation by aluminum oxide smoke particles also plays a dominant role in heat transfer from the exhaust plume to aft-end equipment. Uncertainties in aluminum oxide particle-size distribution and optical properties still make it difficult to predict radiative plume heat transfer accurately from first principles

  4. Chip-based droplet sorting

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Beer, Neil Reginald; Lee, Abraham; Hatch, Andrew

    2017-11-21

    A non-contact system for sorting monodisperse water-in-oil emulsion droplets in a microfluidic device based on the droplet's contents and their interaction with an applied electromagnetic field or by identification and sorting.

  5. Droplet-based Biosensing for Lab-on-a-Chip, Open Microfluidics Platforms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Piyush Dak

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Low cost, portable sensors can transform health care by bringing easily available diagnostic devices to low and middle income population, particularly in developing countries. Sample preparation, analyte handling and labeling are primary cost concerns for traditional lab-based diagnostic systems. Lab-on-a-chip (LoC platforms based on droplet-based microfluidics promise to integrate and automate these complex and expensive laboratory procedures onto a single chip; the cost will be further reduced if label-free biosensors could be integrated onto the LoC platforms. Here, we review some recent developments of label-free, droplet-based biosensors, compatible with “open” digital microfluidic systems. These low-cost droplet-based biosensors overcome some of the fundamental limitations of the classical sensors, enabling timely diagnosis. We identify the key challenges that must be addressed to make these sensors commercially viable and summarize a number of promising research directions.

  6. Towards microprocessor-based control of droplet parameters for endoscopic laryngeal adductor reflex triggering

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fast Jacob Friedemann

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available The so-called Laryngeal Adductor Reflex (LAR protects the respiratory tract from particle intrusion by quickly approximating the vocal folds to close the free glottal space. An impaired LAR may be associated with an increased risk of aspiration and other adverse conditions. To evaluate the integrity of the LAR, we recently developed an endoscopic prototype for LAR triggering by shooting accelerated droplets onto a predefined laryngeal target region. We now modified the existing droplet-dispensing system to adapt the fluid system pressure as well as the valve opening time to user-chosen values autonomously. This has been accomplished using a microcontroller board connected to a pressure sensor and a mechatronic syringe pump. For performance validation, we designed a measurement setup capable of tracking the droplet along a vertical trajectory. In addition to the experimental setup, the influence of parameters such as system pressure and valve opening time on the micro-droplet formation is presented. Further development will enable the physician to adjust the droplet momentum by setting a single input value on the microcontroller-based setup, thus further increasing usability of the diagnostic device.

  7. 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.)

  8. Simultaneous measurement of monocomponent droplet temperature/refractive index, size and evaporation rate with phase rainbow refractometry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Yingchun; Crua, Cyril; Li, Haipeng; Saengkaew, Sawitree; Mädler, Lutz; Wu, Xuecheng; Gréhan, Gérard

    2018-07-01

    The accurate measurements of droplet temperature, size and evaporation rate are of great importance to characterize the heat and mass transfer during evaporation/condensation processes. The nanoscale size change of a micron-sized droplet exactly describes its transient mass transfer, but is difficult to measure because it is smaller than the resolutions of current size measurement techniques. The Phase Rainbow Refractometry (PRR) technique is developed and applied to measure droplet temperature, size and transient size changes and thereafter evaporation rate simultaneously. The measurement principle of PRR is theoretically derived, and it reveals that the phase shift of the time-resolved ripple structures linearly depends on, and can directly yield, nano-scale size changes of droplets. The PRR technique is first verified through the simulation of rainbows of droplets with changing size, and results show that PRR can precisely measure droplet refractive index, absolute size, as well as size change with absolute and relative errors within several nanometers and 0.6%, respectively, and thus PRR permits accurate measurements of transient droplet evaporation rates. The evaporations of flowing single n-nonane droplet and mono-dispersed n-heptane droplet stream are investigated by two PRR systems with a high speed linear CCD and a low speed array CCD, respectively. Their transient evaporation rates are experimentally determined and quantitatively agree well with the theoretical values predicted by classical Maxwell and Stefan-Fuchs models. With the demonstration of evaporation rate measurement of monocomponent droplet in this work, PRR is an ideal tool for measurements of transient droplet evaporation/condensation processes, and can be extended to multicomponent droplets in a wide range of industrially-relevant applications.

  9. Micro-droplet based directed evolution outperforms conventional laboratory evolution

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sjostrom, Staffan L.; Huang, Mingtao; Nielsen, Jens

    2014-01-01

    We present droplet adaptive laboratory evolution (DrALE), a directed evolution method used to improve industrial enzyme producing microorganisms for e.g. feedstock digestion. DrALE is based linking a desired phenotype to growth rate allowing only desired cells to proliferate. Single cells are con...... a whole-genome mutated library of yeast cells for α-amylase activity....

  10. Dancing droplets: Contact angle, drag, and confinement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Benusiglio, Adrien; Cira, Nate; Prakash, Manu

    2015-11-01

    When deposited on a clean glass slide, a mixture of water and propylene glycol forms a droplet of given contact angle, when both pure liquids spread. (Cira, Benusiglio, Prakash: Nature, 2015). The droplet is stabilized by a gradient of surface tension due to evaporation that induces a Marangoni flow from the border to the apex of the droplets. The apparent contact angle of the droplets depends on both their composition and the external humidity as captured by simple models. These droplets present remarkable properties such as lack of a large pinning force. We discuss the drag on these droplets as a function of various parameters. We show theoretical and experimental results of how various confinement geometries change the vapor gradient and the dynamics of droplet attraction.

  11. Particle Manipulation Methods in Droplet Microfluidics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tenje, Maria; Fornell, Anna; Ohlin, Mathias; Nilsson, Johan

    2018-02-06

    This Feature describes the different particle manipulation techniques available in the droplet microfluidics toolbox to handle particles encapsulated inside droplets and to manipulate whole droplets. We address the advantages and disadvantages of the different techniques to guide new users.

  12. Colliding droplets: A short film presentation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hendricks, C. D.

    1981-12-01

    A series of experiments were performed in which liquid droplets were caused to collide. Impact velocities to several meters per second and droplet diameters up to 600 micrometers were used. The impact parameters in the collisions vary from zero to greater than the sum of the droplet radii. Photographs of the collisions were taken with a high speed framing camera in order to study the impacts and subsequent behavior of the droplets.

  13. 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...

  14. Global rainbow refractometry for droplet temperature measurement

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pascal Lemaitre; Emmanuel Porcheron; Amandine Nuboer; Philippe Brun; Pierre Cornet; Jeanne Malet; Jacques Vendel; Laurent Bouilloux [Institut de Radioprotection et de Surete Nucleaire DSU/SERAC, BP 68, 91192 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex (France); Gerard Grehan [UMR 6614 CORIA, Laboratoire d' Electromagnetisme et Systemes Particulaires Site Universitaire du Madrillet, Avenue de l' universite BP 12, 76 801 Saint Etienne du Rouvray Cedex, (France)

    2005-07-01

    Full text of publication follows: In order to establish an accurate database to characterize the heat and mass transfers between a spray and the atmosphere with thermal-hydraulic conditions representative of a hypothetical nuclear reactor accident in the containment enclosure of a pressurized water reactor (PWR), the French Institut de Radioprotection et de Surete Nucleaire (IRSN) has developed the TOSQAN experimental facility. This experiment is highly instrumented with non-intrusive diagnostics allowing to measure droplet size and velocity and gas concentrations [1]. The aim of this work is to present the Global Rainbow Thermometry (GRT), which is an advanced non-intrusive optical diagnostic, developed to measure the mean temperature of a set of falling droplets, in a measurement volume of 1 cm{sup 3}. The final paper will be divided in three parts. In the first one, we will explain the principle of the rainbow formation and how droplet temperature can be deduced from the rainbow analysis [2]. This part will be illustrated with the theoretical background on the rainbow and numerical simulations of the global rainbow. The second part will be devoted to present the global rainbow experimental set-up we have developed on optical table, its experimental qualification and finally its implementation on the TOSQAN facility [3]. Finally, we will present the temperature measurements achieved in TOSQAN for thermal-hydraulic conditions representative of a hypothetical nuclear reactor accident. These measurements are useful to characterize the heat and mass transfers between the spraying droplets and the air-steam mixture composing the atmosphere. This analysis will be exposed in a two companion papers. References: [1] E. Porcheron, P. Brun, P. Cornet, J. Malet, J. Vendel. Optical diagnostics applied for single and multi-phase flow characterization in the TOSQAN facility dedicated for thermal hydraulic containment studies. NURETH-10 Seoul, Korea, October 5-9, 2003. [2] P

  15. Global rainbow refractometry for droplet temperature measurement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pascal Lemaitre; Emmanuel Porcheron; Amandine Nuboer; Philippe Brun; Pierre Cornet; Jeanne Malet; Jacques Vendel; Laurent Bouilloux; Gerard Grehan

    2005-01-01

    Full text of publication follows: In order to establish an accurate database to characterize the heat and mass transfers between a spray and the atmosphere with thermal-hydraulic conditions representative of a hypothetical nuclear reactor accident in the containment enclosure of a pressurized water reactor (PWR), the French Institut de Radioprotection et de Surete Nucleaire (IRSN) has developed the TOSQAN experimental facility. This experiment is highly instrumented with non-intrusive diagnostics allowing to measure droplet size and velocity and gas concentrations [1]. The aim of this work is to present the Global Rainbow Thermometry (GRT), which is an advanced non-intrusive optical diagnostic, developed to measure the mean temperature of a set of falling droplets, in a measurement volume of 1 cm 3 . The final paper will be divided in three parts. In the first one, we will explain the principle of the rainbow formation and how droplet temperature can be deduced from the rainbow analysis [2]. This part will be illustrated with the theoretical background on the rainbow and numerical simulations of the global rainbow. The second part will be devoted to present the global rainbow experimental set-up we have developed on optical table, its experimental qualification and finally its implementation on the TOSQAN facility [3]. Finally, we will present the temperature measurements achieved in TOSQAN for thermal-hydraulic conditions representative of a hypothetical nuclear reactor accident. These measurements are useful to characterize the heat and mass transfers between the spraying droplets and the air-steam mixture composing the atmosphere. This analysis will be exposed in a two companion papers. References: [1] E. Porcheron, P. Brun, P. Cornet, J. Malet, J. Vendel. Optical diagnostics applied for single and multi-phase flow characterization in the TOSQAN facility dedicated for thermal hydraulic containment studies. NURETH-10 Seoul, Korea, October 5-9, 2003. [2] P

  16. 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.

  17. 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.

  18. Estimation of droplet charge forming out of an electrified ligament in the presence of a uniform electric field

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Osman, H; Castle, G S P; Adamiak, K; Fan, H T; Simmer, J

    2015-01-01

    The charge on a liquid droplet is a critical parameter that needs to be determined to accurately predict the behaviour of the droplet in many electrostatic applications, for example, electrostatic painting and ink-jet printing. The charge depends on many factors, such as the liquid conductivity, droplet and ligament radii, ligament length, droplet shape, electric field intensity, space charge, the presence of adjacent ligaments and previously formed droplets. In this paper, a 2D axisymmetric model is presented which can be used to predict the electric charge on a conductive spherical droplet ejected from a single ligament directly supplied with high voltage. It was found that the droplet charging levels for the case of isolated electrified ligaments are as much as 60 times higher than that in the case of ligaments connected to a planar high voltage electrode. It is suggested that practical atomization systems lie somewhere between these two extremes and that a better model was achieved by developing a 3D approximation of a linear array of ligaments connected to an electrode having variable width. The effect on droplet charge and its radius was estimated for several cases of different boundary conditions. (paper)

  19. 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.

  20. Mass spectrometry of acoustically levitated droplets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Westphall, Michael S; Jorabchi, Kaveh; Smith, Lloyd M

    2008-08-01

    Containerless sample handling techniques such as acoustic levitation offer potential advantages for mass spectrometry, by eliminating surfaces where undesired adsorption/desorption processes can occur. In addition, they provide a unique opportunity to study fundamental aspects of the ionization process as well as phenomena occurring at the air-droplet interface. Realizing these advantages is contingent, however, upon being able to effectively interface levitated droplets with a mass spectrometer, a challenging task that is addressed in this report. We have employed a newly developed charge and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (CALDI) technique to obtain mass spectra from a 5-microL acoustically levitated droplet containing peptides and an ionic matrix. A four-ring electrostatic lens is used in conjunction with a corona needle to produce bursts of corona ions and to direct those ions toward the droplet, resulting in droplet charging. Analyte ions are produced from the droplet by a 337-nm laser pulse and detected by an atmospheric sampling mass spectrometer. The ion generation and extraction cycle is repeated at 20 Hz, the maximum operating frequency of the laser employed. It is shown in delayed ion extraction experiments that both positive and negative ions are produced, behavior similar to that observed for atmospheric pressure matrix-assisted laser absorption/ionization. No ion signal is observed in the absence of droplet charging. It is likely, although not yet proven, that the role of the droplet charging is to increase the strength of the electric field at the surface of the droplet, reducing charge recombination after ion desorption.

  1. Experimental Measurement of Frozen and Partially Melted Water Droplet Impact Dynamics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palacios, Jose; Yan, Sihong; Tan, Jason; Kreeger, Richard E.

    2014-01-01

    High-speed video of single frozen water droplets impacting a surface was acquired. The droplets diameter ranged from 0.4 mm to 0.9 mm and impacted at velocities ranging from 140 m/sec to 309 m/sec. The techniques used to freeze the droplets and launch the particles against the surfaces is described in this paper. High-speed video was used to quantify the ice accretion area to the surface for varying impact angles (30 deg, 45 deg, 60 deg), impacting velocities, and break-up angles. An oxygen /acetylene cross-flow flame used to ensure partial melting of the traveling frozen droplets is also discussed. A linear relationship between impact angle and ice accretion is identified for fully frozen particles. The slope of the relationship is affected by impact speed. Perpendicular impacts, i.e. 30 deg, exhibited small differences in ice accretion for varying velocities, while an increase of 60% in velocity from 161 m/sec to 259 m/sec, provided an increase on ice accretion area of 96% at an impact angle of 60 deg. The increase accretion area highlights the importance of impact angle and velocity on the ice accretion process of ice crystals. It was experimentally observed that partial melting was not required for ice accretion at the tested velocities when high impact angles were used (45 and 60 deg). Partially melted droplets doubled the ice accretion areas on the impacting surface when 0.0023 Joules were applied to the particle. The partially melted state of the droplets and a method to quantify the percentage increase in ice accretion area is also described in the paper.

  2. Microfluidic droplet generator with controlled break-up mechanism

    KAUST Repository

    Gonzalez, David Conchouso

    2017-04-13

    Droplet generation devices and systems that parallelize droplet generation devices are provided. The droplet generation devices can include a symmetric block-and-break system and a tapered droplet generation zone. The symmetric block-and-break system can include a pair of break channels and a pair of bypass channels symmetrically arranged with respect to the dispersed-phase input channel and the output channel. The droplet generation devices can generate monodisperse droplets with a predefined volume over a range of flow rates, pressures, and fluid properties. The droplet generation devices are therefore capable of parallelization to achieve large-capacity droplet generation, e.g. greater than 1 L/hr, with small overall coefficients of variation.

  3. 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

  4. Spray From a Rolling Tire: Mechanics of Droplet Formation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Plocher, Dennis; Browand, Fred

    2010-11-01

    The spray pattern immediately behind a single-groove tire rolling on a wet surface is produced in the laboratory using a specially designed tire spray simulator. The spray development is examined using high speed video. Water from the groove forms a liquid sheet as the tire-tread lifts away from the surface. The sheet is not of uniform thickness, but it remains attached to the tread. The thinner portions of the sheet become even thinner as the tire rotates, and eventually break to produce holes near the tire surface. The holes grow as the sheet margins surrounding the holes retract into the thicker portions of the sheet which become roughly cylindrical "ligaments" aligned at right angles to the direction of spray motion. The ligaments break into large droplets via a Rayleigh instability. The smallest droplets form when the margins of two holes collide. As Weber number, We = ρU^2w/2σ , based on tire groove half width, w/2, varies by a factor of 25, the sheet-ligament structure persists, but ligaments become less organized, and more small droplets appear in the pattern.

  5. 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.

  6. 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.

  7. Modelling of turbulent combustion in the blast furnace raceway

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Karvinen, R.; Maekiranta, R. [Tampere Univ. (Finland). Energy and Process Engineering

    1996-12-31

    The phenomena concerning coke-gas -suspension and simultaneous combustion of solid coke particles and residual fuel oil in a blast furnace raceway are modelled. The flow field of suspension is predicted by using the two fluid model, which is based on the Eulerian method, in the Phoenics code. The standard k-e -model of turbulence is used. Pyrolysis of oil droplets is calculated with the own coded subroutine, which is based on the Lagrangian approach. Gas phase reaction rate is assumed to be controlled by chemical kinetics. Radiative heat transfer is calculated by using the six-flux method. Heterogenous surface reactions are used for the coke particles. Calculations without coke combustion show that due to a poor mixing in the hot blast, pyrolysis gases of residual fuel oil have not time enough to react with oxygen. It is obvious that if combustion of coke particles is taken into account, the oxygen content in the blast decreases to such a level, that unburnt pyrolysis gases can flow out of the raceway causing problems. The distribution of coke void fraction has been succeeded to predict in the raceway domain. Coke particles fall from the upper part of the raceway to the hot blast forming locally high concentrations, which affect very strongly the oxygen distribution of the hot blast. (orig.) SULA 2 Research Programme; 10 refs.

  8. Modelling of turbulent combustion in the blast furnace raceway

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Karvinen, R; Maekiranta, R [Tampere Univ. (Finland). Energy and Process Engineering

    1997-12-31

    The phenomena concerning coke-gas -suspension and simultaneous combustion of solid coke particles and residual fuel oil in a blast furnace raceway are modelled. The flow field of suspension is predicted by using the two fluid model, which is based on the Eulerian method, in the Phoenics code. The standard k-e -model of turbulence is used. Pyrolysis of oil droplets is calculated with the own coded subroutine, which is based on the Lagrangian approach. Gas phase reaction rate is assumed to be controlled by chemical kinetics. Radiative heat transfer is calculated by using the six-flux method. Heterogenous surface reactions are used for the coke particles. Calculations without coke combustion show that due to a poor mixing in the hot blast, pyrolysis gases of residual fuel oil have not time enough to react with oxygen. It is obvious that if combustion of coke particles is taken into account, the oxygen content in the blast decreases to such a level, that unburnt pyrolysis gases can flow out of the raceway causing problems. The distribution of coke void fraction has been succeeded to predict in the raceway domain. Coke particles fall from the upper part of the raceway to the hot blast forming locally high concentrations, which affect very strongly the oxygen distribution of the hot blast. (orig.) SULA 2 Research Programme; 10 refs.

  9. 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.

  10. Contribution to the study of an lpg jet in the combustion chamber of a spark-ignition engine; Contribution a l'etude d'un jet de gpl dans la chambre de combustion d'un moteur a allumage commande, pour differentes strategies d'injection

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Duong Viet, D.

    2002-07-01

    It appears tempting to combine the less polluting combustion of LPG with the energy performances of a direct injection spark-ignition engine. To this aim the study of high pressure injection of a liquid LPG jet, directly inside the combustion chamber of an engine was performed in two ways: Experimental studies: one with fast cinematography and another with the method of Doppler phases in an one-cylinder 'transparent' engine for various conditions of injection and without combustion. They respectively deliver empirical laws for the jet development and some informations about size and speed of the droplets of LPG. A modeling of the jet could then be made on the basis of a turbulent and deviated jet the parameters of which could be adjusted using results of the preceding experimental study. (author)

  11. The numerical comparison of fire combustion model and water-mist suppression with experiments by FDS code

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Hsuennien; Ferng Yuhming; Shih Chunkuan; Hsu Wensheng

    2007-01-01

    FDS [1] code numerically solves a form of the Navier-Stokes equations appropriate for low-speed, thermally driven flow with an emphasis on smoke and heat transport from fires. FDS uses a mixture fraction combustion model. The mixture fraction is a conserved scalar quantity that is defined as the fraction of fuel gas at a given point in the flow field. The model assumes that combustion is mixing-controlled, and that the reaction of fuel and oxygen is infinitely fast. In FDS, Lagrangian particles are used to simulate smoke movement and sprinkling water-mist discharge. In order to evaluate the combustion model and water-mist suppression function of the code, FDS analyses are conducted to simulate two enclosure fire cases available in the literature. Comparisons with other combustion models are also made. For fires suppression by water-mist in FDS, parametric studies are performed to compare various water-mist injection characteristics for maximum suppression. Numerical results indicate that the flame suppression is closely related to characteristics of the water mist, such as droplet diameter, mist injection velocity, injection density. Our present investigations show that the combustion model and water-mist suppression in FDS can provide simulation results that are comparable with the experiments. (author)

  12. 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)].

  13. Binary particle separation in droplet microfluidics using acoustophoresis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fornell, Anna; Cushing, Kevin; Nilsson, Johan; Tenje, Maria

    2018-02-01

    We show a method for separation of two particle species with different acoustic contrasts originally encapsulated in the same droplet in a continuous two-phase system. This was realized by using bulk acoustic standing waves in a 380 μm wide silicon-glass microfluidic channel. Polystyrene particles (positive acoustic contrast particles) and in-house synthesized polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) particles (negative acoustic contrast particles) were encapsulated inside water-in-oil droplets either individually or in a mixture. At acoustic actuation of the system at the fundamental resonance frequency, the polystyrene particles were moved to the center of the droplet (pressure node), while the PDMS particles were moved to the sides of the droplet (pressure anti-nodes). The acoustic particle manipulation step was combined in series with a trifurcation droplet splitter, and as the original droplet passed through the splitter and was divided into three daughter droplets, the polystyrene particles were directed into the center daughter droplet, while the PDMS particles were directed into the two side daughter droplets. The presented method expands the droplet microfluidics tool-box and offers new possibilities to perform binary particle separation in droplet microfluidic systems.

  14. 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)].

  15. 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

  16. Modeling of Diesel Fuel Spray Formation and Combustion in OpenFOAM

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Koesters, Anne

    2012-07-01

    The formation, ignition, and combustion of fuel sprays are highly complex processes and the available models have various shortcomings. The development and application of multidimensional CFD models, that describe the different phenomena have rapidly increased through the use of commercial and public software (e.g. Star-CD, KIVA, FIRE and OpenFOAM). The general approach to spray modeling is given by the Eulerian-Lagrangian method, where the gas phase is modeled as a continuum and the droplets are tracked in a Lagrangian way. The accuracy and robustness of today's spray models vary substantially and spray penetration simulations and the levels of spray-generated turbulence are dependent on the discretization. The work presented here deals with the prediction of spray formation and combustion with improved models implemented in the free, open source software package OpenFOAM. The VSB2 spray model was implemented and tested under varying ambient conditions. The design criteria of the model were to be unconditionally robust, have a minimal number of tuning parameters, and be implementable in any CFD software package supporting particle tracking. The main difference between the VSB2 spray model and standard spray models is how the interaction between the liquid fuel and hot gas phase is modeled. In the VSB2 spray model, a 'blob' is defined, containing differently sized droplets; instead of a parcel containing equally sized droplets. Another feature is the definition of a bubble surrounding the blob. The blob just interacts with the gas phase in the bubble instead of with the gas phase in the whole grid cell. The idea is to reduce grid dependency. Furthermore, equilibrium between the blob and the bubble is ensured, which makes the model very robust. Results of spray penetration simulations are compared with data obtained from experiments done at Chalmers Univ. of Technology and with experimental data published by Siebers and Naber from Sandia National

  17. 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

  18. Particle image velocimetry and infrared thermography in a levitated droplet with nanosilica suspensions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Saha, Abhishek; Kumar, Ranganathan [University of Central Florida, Department of Mechanical Materials and Aerospace Engineering, Orlando, FL (United States); Basu, Saptarshi [Indian Institute of Science, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Bangalore (India)

    2012-03-15

    Preferential accumulation and agglomeration kinetics of nanoparticles suspended in an acoustically levitated water droplet under radiative heating has been studied. Particle image velocimetry performed to map the internal flow field shows a single cell recirculation with increasing strength for decreasing viscosities. Infrared thermography and high speed imaging show details of the heating process for various concentrations of nanosilica droplets. Initial stage of heating is marked by fast vaporization of liquid and sharp temperature rise. Following this stage, aggregation of nanoparticles is seen resulting in various structure formations. At low concentrations, a bowl structure of the droplet is dominant, maintained at a constant temperature. At high concentrations, viscosity of the solution increases, leading to rotation about the levitator axis due to the dominance of centrifugal motion. Such complex fluid motion inside the droplet due to acoustic streaming eventually results in the formation of a ring structure. This horizontal ring eventually reorients itself due to an imbalance of acoustic forces on the ring, exposing larger area for laser absorption and subsequent sharp temperature rise. (orig.)

  19. The collaborative work of droplet assembly.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Xiao; Goodman, Joel M

    2017-10-01

    Three proteins have been implicated in the assembly of cytoplasmic lipid droplets: seipin, FIT2, and perilipin. This review examines the current theories of seipin function as well as the evidence for the involvement of all three proteins in droplet biogenesis, and ends with a proposal of how they collaborate to regulate the formation of droplets. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Recent Advances in Lipid Droplet Biology edited by Rosalind Coleman and Matthijs Hesselink. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Droplet collisions in turbulence

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Oldenziel, G.

    2014-01-01

    Liquid droplets occur in many natural phenomena and play an important role in a large number of industrial applications. One of the distinct properties of droplets as opposed to solid particles is their ability to merge, or coalesce upon collision. Coalescence of liquid drops is of importance in for

  1. Raman mapping of mannitol/lysozyme particles produced via spray drying and single droplet drying.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pajander, Jari Pekka; Matero, Sanni; Sloth, Jakob; Wan, Feng; Rantanen, Jukka; Yang, Mingshi

    2015-06-01

    This study aimed to investigate the effect of a model protein on the solid state of a commonly used bulk agent in spray-dried formulations. A series of lysozyme/mannitol formulations were spray-dried using a lab-scale spray dryer. Further, the surface temperature of drying droplet/particles was monitored using the DRYING KINETICS ANALYZER™ (DKA) with controllable drying conditions mimicking the spray-drying process to estimate the drying kinetics of the lysozyme/mannitol formulations. The mannitol polymorphism and the spatial distribution of lysozyme in the particles were examined using X-ray powder diffractometry (XRPD) and Raman microscopy. Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis was used for analyzing the Raman microscopy data. XRPD results indicated that a mixture of β-mannitol and α-mannitol was produced in the spray-drying process which was supported by the Raman analysis, whereas Raman analysis indicated that a mixture of α-mannitol and δ-mannitol was detected in the single particles from DKA. In addition Raman mapping indicated that the presence of lysozyme seemed to favor the appearance of α-mannitol in the particles from DKA evidenced by close proximity of lysozyme and mannitol in the particles. It suggested that the presence of lysozyme tend to induce metastable solid state forms upon the drying process.

  2. 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.

  3. Single particle aerosol mass spectrometry of coal combustion particles associated with high lung cancer rates in Xuanwei and Fuyuan, China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Senlin; Tan, Zhengying; Liu, Pinwei; Zhao, Hui; Liu, Dingyu; Yu, Shang; Cheng, Ping; Win, Myat Sandar; Hu, Jiwen; Tian, Linwei; Wu, Minghong; Yonemochi, Shinich; Wang, Qingyue

    2017-11-01

    Coal combustion particles (CCPs) are linked to the high incidence of lung cancer in Xuanwei and in Fuyuan, China, but studies on the chemical composition of the CCPs are still limited. Single particle aerosol mass spectrometry (SPAMS) was recently developed to measure the chemical composition and size of single particles in real-time. In this study, SPAMS was used to measure individual combustion particles emitted from Xuanwei and Fuyuan coal samples and the results were compared with those by ICP-MS and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The total of 38,372 particles mass-analyzed by SPAMS can be divided into 9 groups based on their chemical composition and their number percentages: carbonaceous, Na-rich, K-rich, Al-rich, Fe-rich, Si-rich, Ca-rich, heavy metal-bearing, and PAH-bearing particles. The carbonaceous and PAH-bearing particles are enriched in the size range below 0.56 μm, Fe-bearing particles range from 0.56 to 1.0 μm in size, and heavy metals such as Ti, V, Cr, Cu, Zn, and Pb have diameters below 1 μm. The TEM results show that the particles from Xuanwei and Fuyuan coal combustion can be classified into soot aggregates, Fe-rich particles, heavy metal containing particles, and mineral particles. Non-volatile particles detected by SPAMS could also be observed with TEM. The number percentages by SPAMS also correlate with the mass concentrations measured by ICP-MS. Our results could provide valuable insight for understanding high lung cancer incidence in the area. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Novel approaches in advanced combustion characterization of fuels for advanced pressurized combustion

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Aho, M.; Haemaelaeinen, J. [VTT Energy (Finland); Joutsenoja, T. [Tampere Univ. of Technology (Finland)

    1996-12-01

    This project is a part of the EU Joule 2 (extension) programme. The objective of the research of Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT) is to produce experimental results of the effects of pressure and other important parameters on the combustion of pulverized coals and their char derivates. The results can be utilized in modelling of pressurized combustion and in planning pilot-scale reactors. The coals to be studied are Polish hvb coal, French lignite (Gardanne), German anthracite (Niederberg) and German (Goettelbom) hvb coal. The samples are combusted in an electrically heated, pressurized entrained flow reactor (PEFR), where the experimental conditions are controlled with a high precision. The particle size of the fuel can vary between 100 and 300 {mu}m. The studied things are combustion rates, temperatures and sizes of burning single coal and char particles. The latter measurements are performed with a method developed by Tampere University of Technology, Finland. In some of the experiments, mass loss and elemental composition of the char residue are studied in more details as the function of time to find out the combustion mechanism. Combustion rate of pulverized (140-180 {mu}m) Gardanne lignite and Niederberg anthracite were measured and compared with the data obtained earlier with Polish hvb coal at various pressures, gas temperatures, oxygen partial pressures and partial pressures of carbon dioxide in the second working period. In addition, particle temperatures were measured with anthracite. The experimental results were treated with multivariable partial least squares (PLS) method to find regression equation between the measured things and the experimental variables. (author)

  5. Droplet Translation Actuated by Photoelectrowetting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palma, Cesar; Deegan, Robert D

    2018-03-13

    In traditional electrowetting-on-dielectric (EWOD) devices, droplets are moved about a substrate using electric fields produced by an array of discrete electrodes. In this study, we show that a drop can be driven across a substrate with a localized light beam by exploiting the photoelectrowetting (PEW) effect, a light-activated variant of EWOD. Droplet transport actuated by PEW eliminates the need for electrode arrays and the complexities entailed in their fabrication and control, and offers a new approach for designing lab-on-a-chip applications. We report measurements of the maximum droplet speed as a function of frequency and magnitude of the applied bias, intensity of illumination, volume of the droplet, and viscosity and also introduce a model that reproduces these data.

  6. Fuel properties to enable lifted-flame combustion

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kurtz, Eric [Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, MI (United States)

    2015-03-15

    The Fuel Properties to Enable Lifted-Flame Combustion project responded directly to solicitation DE-FOA-0000239 AOI 1A, Fuels and Lubricants for Advanced Combustion Regimes. This subtopic was intended to encompass clean and highly-efficient, liquid-fueled combustion engines to achieve extremely low engine-out nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) as a target and similar efficiency as state-of-the-art direct injection diesel engines. The intent of this project was to identify how fuel properties can be used to achieve controllable Leaner Lifted Flame Combustion (LLFC) with low NOx and PM emissions. Specifically, this project was expected to identify and test key fuel properties to enable LLFC and their compatibility with current fuel systems and to enhance combustion models to capture the effect of fuel properties on advanced combustion. Successful demonstration of LLFC may reduce the need for after treatment devices, thereby reducing costs and improving thermal efficiency. The project team consisted of key technical personnel from Ford Motor Company (FMC), the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW), Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories (LLNL). Each partner had key roles in achieving project objectives. FMC investigated fuel properties relating to LLFC and sooting tendency. Together, FMC and UW developed and integrated 3D combustion models to capture fuel property combustion effects. FMC used these modeling results to develop a combustion system and define fuel properties to support a single-cylinder demonstration of fuel-enabled LLFC. UW investigated modeling the flame characteristics and emissions behavior of different fuels, including those with different cetane number and oxygen content. SNL led spray combustion experiments to quantify the effect of key fuel properties on combustion characteristics critical for LLFC, as well as single cylinder optical engine experiments to improve fundamental

  7. Colliding droplets: a short film presentation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hendricks, C.D.

    1981-01-01

    A series of experiments were performed in which liquid droplets were caused to collide. Impact velocities to several meters per second and droplet diameters up to 600 micrometers were used. The impact parameters in the collisions vary from zero to greater than the sum of the droplet radii. Photographs of the collisions were taken with a high speed framing camera in order to study the impacts and subsequent behavior of the droplets. The experiments will be discussed and a short movie film presentation of some of the impacts will be shown

  8. 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.

  9. Numerical study on morphology and solidification characteristics of successive droplet depositions on a substrate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adaikalanathan, Vimalan

    accounting for the latent heat. It is coupled with the flow solver through an Enthalpy-Porosity technique. A modified boundary condition which incorporates the contact resistance has also been implemented. The case of multiple eutectic solder droplet depositions has been simulated to study the various aspects of splat morphology and solidification characteristics. Effects of impact conditions on single as well as successive droplet depositions have been examined. The role of convection terms in the energy equation has been emphasized and quantitatively analysed. The effect of impact velocity is manifested as surface curvature of the pre-solidified splat and in turn, affects morphology of the subsequent droplets. Initial droplet temperature influences the solidification time of both single and multiple droplets. Under certain conditions, remelting of pre-solidified splat has been observed and its causes have been discussed. Contact resistance has been reported in the literature and has been found to have a strong influence not only on the heat transfer but also the spreading behaviour. Frequency of successive impingements is also an important factor affecting the metallurgical bonding properties.

  10. Optical diagnostics for the investigation of combustion in a single cylinder of a diesel engine; Dieselmoottorin yksittaeisen sylinterin palamistapahtuman tutkiminen optisilla menetelmillae

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kytoelae, J.; Leino, I. [Waertsilae Diesel International Ltd, Vaasa (Finland); Hernberg, R.; Vattulainen, J. [Tampere Univ. of Technology (Finland). Lab. of Plasma Technology

    1997-10-01

    To be able to develop diesel engines with further lower exhaust emission levels, it is necessary to understand the different phases of combustion process taking place in a single cylinder of a diesel engine. In this project optical, both non-imaging and imaging techniques have been developed to study the temporal spatial flame behaviour and flame temperature in Wartsila medium speed diesel engines. Temperature of the diesel flame is a critical parameter for thermal NO{sub x} formation. The colour temperature of the diffusion diesel flame as a function of time (crank angle) has been determined pyrometrically based on the black body incandescence of the flame contained soot. To obtain spatially and temporally resolved information of the combustion process, flame visualization using CCD-techniques have been performed. Diesel combustion has been recorded both using special light-intensified high speed video recording (3000 fps) and with non-intensified, short exposure CCD-imaging. (orig.)

  11. Multicomponent droplet vaporization in a convecting environment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Megaridis, C.M.; Sirignano, W.A.

    1990-01-01

    In this paper a parametric study of the fundamental exchange processes for energy, mass and momentum between the liquid and gas phases of multicomponent liquid vaporizing droplets is presented. The model, which examines an isolated, vaporizing, multicomponent droplet in an axisymmetric, convecting environment, considers the different volatilities of the liquid components, the alteration of the liquid-phase properties due to the spatial/temporal variations of the species concentrations and also the effects of multicomponent diffusion. In addition, the model accounts for variable thermophysical properties, surface blowing and droplet surface regression due to vaporization, transient droplet heating with internal liquid circulation, and finally droplet deceleration with respect to the free flow due to drag. The numerical calculation employs finite-difference techniques and an iterative solution procedure that provides time-varying spatially-resolved data for both phases. The effects of initial droplet composition, ambient temperature, initial Reynolds number (based on droplet diameter), and volatility differential between the two liquid components are investigated for a liquid droplet consisting of two components with very different volatilities. It is found that mixtures with higher concentration of the less volatile substance actually vaporize faster on account of intrinsically higher liquid heating rates

  12. Collisions of droplets on spherical particles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Charalampous, Georgios; Hardalupas, Yannis

    2017-10-01

    Head-on collisions between droplets and spherical particles are examined for water droplets in the diameter range between 170 μm and 280 μm and spherical particles in the diameter range between 500 μm and 2000 μm. The droplet velocities range between 6 m/s and 11 m/s, while the spherical particles are fixed in space. The Weber and Ohnesorge numbers and ratio of droplet to particle diameter were between 92 deposition and splashing regimes, a regime is observed in the intermediate region, where the droplet forms a stable crown, which does not breakup but propagates along the particle surface and passes around the particle. This regime is prevalent when the droplets collide on small particles. The characteristics of the collision at the onset of rim instability are also described in terms of the location of the film on the particle surface and the orientation and length of the ejected crown. Proper orthogonal decomposition identified that the first 2 modes are enough to capture the overall morphology of the crown at the splashing threshold.

  13. 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.

  14. 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.

  15. Levitated droplet dye laser

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Azzouz, H.; Alkafadiji, L.; Balslev, Søren

    2006-01-01

    a high quality optical resonator. Our 750 nL lasing droplets consist of Rhodamine 6G dissolved in ethylene glycol, at a concentration of 0.02 M. The droplets are optically pumped at 532 nm light from a pulsed, frequency doubled Nd:YAG laser, and the dye laser emission is analyzed by a fixed grating...

  16. Analysis of JP-10 Combustion Mechanism Based on Bimolecular Reaction Collision Model%气体介质中 JP-10液滴蒸发数值模拟研究

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    袁嵩; 于亮; 赵汝岩

    2016-01-01

    为了进一步了解 JP-10燃料在航空发动机燃烧室中的蒸发燃烧机理,基于 SRK 状态方程,运用数学建模的方法,对 JP-10液滴蒸发过程进行了数值模拟并分析了环境因素对液滴蒸发表面温度变化及液滴生存时间变化的影响。研究表明,气体介质与液滴间的相对速度和环境压力及温度对 JP-10液滴蒸发湿球温度、升温过程及生存时间影响明显。%In order to further understand the evaporation and combustion mechanism of the JP-10 droplet in the engine combustion chamber,based on the SRK state equation,and by means of mathematical modeling,we simulated the evaporation process of the JP-10 droplet and analyzed the influences of environmental factors on the droplet surface temperature and life time.The results show that the influences of ambient pressure and temperature and relative velocity between gas and droplet on the JP-10 evaporation wet-bulb temperature,heating process and survival time are obvious.

  17. Electrostatic charging and control of droplets in microfluidic devices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Hongbo; Yao, Shuhuai

    2013-03-07

    Precharged droplets can facilitate manipulation and control of low-volume liquids in droplet-based microfluidics. In this paper, we demonstrate non-contact electrostatic charging of droplets by polarizing a neutral droplet and splitting it into two oppositely charged daughter droplets in a T-junction microchannel. We performed numerical simulation to analyze the non-contact charging process and proposed a new design with a notch at the T-junction in aid of droplet splitting for more efficient charging. We experimentally characterized the induced charge in droplets in microfabricated devices. The experimental results agreed well with the simulation. Finally, we demonstrated highly effective droplet manipulation in a path selection unit appending to the droplet charging. We expect our work could enable precision manipulation of droplets for more complex liquid handling in microfluidics and promote electric-force based manipulation in 'lab-on-a-chip' systems.

  18. The dynamics of the water droplet impacting onto hot solid surfaces at medium Weber numbers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mitrakusuma, Windy H.; Kamal, Samsul; Indarto; Dyan Susila, M.; Hermawan; Deendarlianto

    2017-10-01

    The effects of the wettability of a droplet impacting onto a hot solid surface under medium Weber numbers were studied experimentally. The Weber numbers used in the present experiment were 52.1, 57.6, and 63.1. Three kinds of solid surfaces with different wettability were used. These were normal stainless steel (NSS), TiO2 coated NSS, and TiO2 coated NSS radiated with ultraviolet rays. The surface temperatures were varied from 60 to 200 °C. The image of side the view and 30° from horizontal were taken to explain the spreading and the interfacial behavior of a single droplet during impact the hot solid surfaces. It was found that under medium Weber numbers, the surface wettability plays an important role on the droplet spreading and evaporation time during the impact on the hot solid surfaces. The higher the wettability, the larger the droplet spreading on the hot surface, and the lower the evaporation time.

  19. Charge Transfer into Aqueous Droplets via Kilovolt Potentials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamlin, B. S.; Rosenberg, E. R.; Ristenpart, W. D.

    2012-11-01

    When an aqueous droplet immersed in an insulating oil contacts an electrified surface, the droplet acquires net charge. For sufficiently large field strengths, the charged droplet is driven back and forth electrophoretically between the electrodes, in essence ``bouncing'' between them. Although it is clear that the droplet acquires charge, the underlying mechanism controlling the charge transfer process has been unclear. Here we demonstrate that the chemical species present in the droplet strongly affect the charge transfer process into the drop. Using two independent charge measurement techniques, high speed video velocimetry and direct current measurement, we show that the charge acquired during contact is strongly influenced by the droplet pH. We also provide physical evidence that the electrodes undergo electroplating or corrosion for droplets with appropriate chemical species present. Together, the observations strongly suggest that electrochemical reactions govern the charge transfer process into the droplet.

  20. Self-assembly of iodine in superfluid helium droplets. Halogen bonds and nanocrystals

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    He, Yunteng; Zhang, Jie; Lei, Lei; Kong, Wei [Department of Chemistry, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR (United States)

    2017-03-20

    We present evidence of halogen bond in iodine clusters formed in superfluid helium droplets based on results from electron diffraction. Iodine crystals are known to form layered structures with intralayer halogen bonds, with interatomic distances shorter than the sum of the van der Waals radii of the two neighboring atoms. The diffraction profile of dimer dominated clusters embedded in helium droplets reveals an interatomic distance of 3.65 Aa, much closer to the value of 3.5 Aa in iodine crystals than to the van der Waals distance of 4.3 Aa. The profile from larger iodine clusters deviates from a single layer structure; instead, a bi-layer structure qualitatively fits the experimental data. This work highlights the possibility of small halogen bonded iodine clusters, albeit in a perhaps limited environment of superfluid helium droplets. The role of superfluid helium in guiding the trapped molecules into local potential minima awaits further investigation. (copyright 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

  1. Supersonic laser-induced jetting of aluminum micro-droplets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zenou, M.; Sa'ar, A.; Kotler, Z.

    2015-01-01

    The droplet velocity and the incubation time of pure aluminum micro-droplets, printed using the method of sub-nanosecond laser induced forward transfer, have been measured indicating the formation of supersonic laser-induced jetting. The incubation time and the droplet velocity were extracted by measuring a transient electrical signal associated with droplet landing on the surface of the acceptor substrate. This technique has been exploited for studying small volume droplets, in the range of 10–100 femto-litters for which supersonic velocities were measured. The results suggest elastic propagation of the droplets across the donor-to-acceptor gap, a nonlinear deposition dynamics on the surface of the acceptor and overall efficient energy transfer from the laser beam to the droplets

  2. Supersonic laser-induced jetting of aluminum micro-droplets

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zenou, M. [Racah Institute of Physics and the Harvey M. Kruger Family Center for Nano-science and Nanotechnology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91904 Jerusalem (Israel); Additive Manufacturing Lab, Orbotech Ltd., P.O. Box 215, 81101 Yavne (Israel); Sa' ar, A. [Racah Institute of Physics and the Harvey M. Kruger Family Center for Nano-science and Nanotechnology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91904 Jerusalem (Israel); Kotler, Z. [Additive Manufacturing Lab, Orbotech Ltd., P.O. Box 215, 81101 Yavne (Israel)

    2015-05-04

    The droplet velocity and the incubation time of pure aluminum micro-droplets, printed using the method of sub-nanosecond laser induced forward transfer, have been measured indicating the formation of supersonic laser-induced jetting. The incubation time and the droplet velocity were extracted by measuring a transient electrical signal associated with droplet landing on the surface of the acceptor substrate. This technique has been exploited for studying small volume droplets, in the range of 10–100 femto-litters for which supersonic velocities were measured. The results suggest elastic propagation of the droplets across the donor-to-acceptor gap, a nonlinear deposition dynamics on the surface of the acceptor and overall efficient energy transfer from the laser beam to the droplets.

  3. Measurement of heat transfer effectiveness during collision of a Leidenfrost droplet with a heated wall - 15447

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, J.S.; Kim, H.; Bae, S.W.; Kim, K.D.

    2015-01-01

    Droplet-wall collision heat transfer during dispersed flow film boiling plays a role in predicting cooling rate and peak cladding temperature of overheated fuels during reflood following a LOCA accident in nuclear power plants. This study aims at experimentally studying effects of collision velocity and angle, as dynamic characteristics of the colliding droplet, on heat transfer. The experiments were performed by varying collision velocity from 0.2 to 1.5 m/s and collision angle between the droplet path and the wall in the range from 30 to 90 degrees under atmosphere condition. A single droplet was impinged on an infrared-opaque Pt film deposited on an infrared-transparent sapphire plate, which combination permits to measure temperature distribution of the collision surface using a high-speed infrared camera from below. The instantaneous local surface heat flux was obtained by solving transient heat conduction equation for the heated substrate using the measured surface temperature data as the boundary condition of the collision surface. Total heat transfer amount of a single droplet collision was calculated by integrating the local heat flux distribution on the effective heat transfer area during the collision time. The obtained results confirmed the finding from the previous studies that with increasing collision velocity, the heat transfer effectiveness increases due to the increase of the heat transfer area and the local heat flux value. Interestingly, it was found that as collision angle of a droplet with a constant collision velocity decreases from 90 to 50 degrees and thus the vertical velocity component of the collision decreases, the total heat transfer amount per a collision increases. It was observed that the droplet colliding with an angle less than 90 degrees slides on the surface during the collision and the resulting collision area is larger than that in the normal collision. On the other hand, further decrease of collision angle below 40 degrees

  4. Magnetic fluid droplet in a harmonic electric field

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kvasov, D., E-mail: kvasovdmitry@gmail.com [Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow (Russian Federation); Naletova, V. [Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow (Russian Federation); Beketova, E.; Dikanskii, Yu. [North-Caucasus Federal University, Stavropol (Russian Federation)

    2017-06-01

    A magnetic fluid droplet immersed in oil in an applied harmonic electric field is studied experimentally and theoretically. It is shown that deformations of the droplet observed experimentally are not described by the well-known theory. New double-layer droplet model which describes experimental data well is proposed. - Highlights: • The magnetic fluid droplet in the oil in a harmonic electric field is studied. • The paradoxical flattening effect of the droplet is observed experimentally. • For explaining this effect the model of the double-layer droplet is proposed. • Numerical and experimental data coincide qualitatively and quantitatively.

  5. Accelerating Yeast Prion Biology using Droplet Microfluidics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ung, Lloyd; Rotem, Assaf; Jarosz, Daniel; Datta, Manoshi; Lindquist, Susan; Weitz, David

    2012-02-01

    Prions are infectious proteins in a misfolded form, that can induce normal proteins to take the misfolded state. Yeast prions are relevant, as a model of human prion diseases, and interesting from an evolutionary standpoint. Prions may also be a form of epigenetic inheritance, which allow yeast to adapt to stressful conditions at rates exceeding those of random mutations and propagate that adaptation to their offspring. Encapsulation of yeast in droplet microfluidic devices enables high-throughput measurements with single cell resolution, which would not be feasible using bulk methods. Millions of populations of yeast can be screened to obtain reliable measurements of prion induction and loss rates. The population dynamics of clonal yeast, when a fraction of the cells are prion expressing, can be elucidated. Furthermore, the mechanism by which certain strains of bacteria induce yeast to express prions in the wild can be deduced. Integrating the disparate fields of prion biology and droplet microfluidics reveals a more complete picture of how prions may be more than just diseases and play a functional role in yeast.

  6. Numerical Investigations on Electric Field Characteristics with Respect to Capacitive Detection of Free-Flying Droplets

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peter Koltay

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available In this paper a multi-disciplinary simulation of a capacitive droplet sensor based on an open plate capacitor as transducing element is presented. The numerical simulations are based on the finite volume method (FVM, including calculations of an electric field which changes according to the presence of a liquid droplet. The volume of fluid (VOF method is applied for the simulation of the ejection process of a liquid droplet out of a dispenser nozzle. The simulations were realised using the computational fluid dynamic (CFD software CFD ACE+. The investigated capacitive sensing principle enables to determine the volume of a micro droplet passing the sensor capacitor due to the induced change in capacity. It could be found that single droplets in the considered volume range of 5 nL < Vdrop < 100 nL lead to a linear change of the capacity up to ΔQ < 30 fC. The sensitivity of the focused capacitor geometry was evaluated to be Si = 0.3 fC/nL. The simulation results are validated by experiments which exhibit good agreement.

  7. 1-Million droplet array with wide-field fluorescence imaging for digital PCR.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hatch, Andrew C; Fisher, Jeffrey S; Tovar, Armando R; Hsieh, Albert T; Lin, Robert; Pentoney, Stephen L; Yang, David L; Lee, Abraham P

    2011-11-21

    Digital droplet reactors are useful as chemical and biological containers to discretize reagents into picolitre or nanolitre volumes for analysis of single cells, organisms, or molecules. However, most DNA based assays require processing of samples on the order of tens of microlitres and contain as few as one to as many as millions of fragments to be detected. Presented in this work is a droplet microfluidic platform and fluorescence imaging setup designed to better meet the needs of the high-throughput and high-dynamic-range by integrating multiple high-throughput droplet processing schemes on the chip. The design is capable of generating over 1-million, monodisperse, 50 picolitre droplets in 2-7 minutes that then self-assemble into high density 3-dimensional sphere packing configurations in a large viewing chamber for visualization and analysis. This device then undergoes on-chip polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification and fluorescence detection to digitally quantify the sample's nucleic acid contents. Wide-field fluorescence images are captured using a low cost 21-megapixel digital camera and macro-lens with an 8-12 cm(2) field-of-view at 1× to 0.85× magnification, respectively. We demonstrate both end-point and real-time imaging ability to perform on-chip quantitative digital PCR analysis of the entire droplet array. Compared to previous work, this highly integrated design yields a 100-fold increase in the number of on-chip digitized reactors with simultaneous fluorescence imaging for digital PCR based assays.

  8. Oleoplaning droplets on lubricated surfaces

    Science.gov (United States)

    Daniel, Dan; Timonen, Jaakko V. I.; Li, Ruoping; Velling, Seneca J.; Aizenberg, Joanna

    2017-10-01

    Recently, there has been much interest in using lubricated surfaces to achieve extreme liquid repellency: a foreign droplet immiscible with the underlying lubricant layer was shown to slide off at a small tilt angle behaviour was hypothesized to arise from a thin lubricant overlayer film sandwiched between the droplet and solid substrate, but this has not been observed experimentally. Here, using thin-film interference, we are able to visualize the intercalated film under both static and dynamic conditions. We further demonstrate that for a moving droplet, the film thickness follows the Landau-Levich-Derjaguin law. The droplet is therefore oleoplaning--akin to tyres hydroplaning on a wet road--with minimal dissipative force and no contact line pinning. The techniques and insights presented in this study will inform future work on the fundamentals of wetting for lubricated surfaces and enable their rational design.

  9. Lipidomic and proteomic analysis of Caenorhabditis elegans lipid droplets and identification of ACS-4 as a lipid droplet-associated protein

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vrablik, Tracy L. [Washington State Univ., Pullman, WA (United States); Petyuk, Vladislav A. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Larson, Emily M. [Washington State Univ., Pullman, WA (United States); Smith, Richard D. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Watts, Jennifer [Washington State Univ., Pullman, WA (United States)

    2015-06-27

    Lipid droplets are cytoplasmic organelles that store neutral lipids for membrane synthesis and energy reserves. In this study, we characterized the lipid and protein composition of purified C. elegans lipid droplets. These lipid droplets are composed mainly of triacylglycerols, surrounded by a phospholipid monolayer composed primarily of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine. The fatty acid composition of the triacylglycerols was rich in fatty acid species obtained from the dietary E. coli, including cyclopropane fatty acids and cis-vaccenic acid. Unlike other organisms, C. elegans lipid droplets contain very little cholesterol or cholesterol esters. Comparison of the lipid droplet proteomes of wild type and high-fat daf-2 mutant strains shows a relative decrease of MDT-28 abundance in lipid droplets isolated from daf-2 mutants. Functional analysis of lipid droplet proteins identified in our proteomic studies indicated an enrichment of proteins required for growth and fat homeostasis in C. elegans.

  10. 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.

  11. Phase rainbow refractometry for accurate droplet variation characterization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Yingchun; Promvongsa, Jantarat; Saengkaew, Sawitree; Wu, Xuecheng; Chen, Jia; Gréhan, Gérard

    2016-10-15

    We developed a one-dimensional phase rainbow refractometer for the accurate trans-dimensional measurements of droplet size on the micrometer scale as well as the tiny droplet diameter variations at the nanoscale. The dependence of the phase shift of the rainbow ripple structures on the droplet variations is revealed. The phase-shifting rainbow image is recorded by a telecentric one-dimensional rainbow imaging system. Experiments on the evaporating monodispersed droplet stream show that the phase rainbow refractometer can measure the tiny droplet diameter changes down to tens of nanometers. This one-dimensional phase rainbow refractometer is capable of measuring the droplet refractive index and diameter, as well as variations.

  12. The WeIzmann Supercooled Droplets Observation on a Microarray (WISDOM and application for ambient dust

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N. Reicher

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available The WeIzmann Supercooled Droplets Observation on Microarray (WISDOM is a new setup for studying ice nucleation in an array of monodisperse droplets for atmospheric implications. WISDOM combines microfluidics techniques for droplets production and a cryo-optic stage for observation and characterization of freezing events of individual droplets. This setup is designed to explore heterogeneous ice nucleation in the immersion freezing mode, down to the homogeneous freezing of water (235 K in various cooling rates (typically 0.1–10 K min−1. It can also be used for studying homogeneous freezing of aqueous solutions in colder temperatures. Frozen fraction, ice nucleation active surface site densities and freezing kinetics can be obtained from WISDOM measurements for hundreds of individual droplets in a single freezing experiment. Calibration experiments using eutectic solutions and previously studied materials are described. WISDOM also allows repeatable cycles of cooling and heating for the same array of droplets. This paper describes the WISDOM setup, its temperature calibration, validation experiments and measurement uncertainties. Finally, application of WISDOM to study the ice nucleating particle (INP properties of size-selected ambient Saharan dust particles is presented.

  13. 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.

  14. Atomization of liquids in a Pease-Anthony Venturi scrubber. Part II. Droplet dispersion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gonçalves, J A S; Costa, M A M; Aguiar, M L; Coury, J R

    2004-12-10

    Droplet distribution is of fundamental importance to the performance of a Venturi scrubber. Ensuring good liquid distribution can increase performance at minimal liquid usage. In this study, droplet dispersion in a rectangular Pease-Anthony Venturi scrubber, operating horizontally, was examined both theoretically and experimentally. The Venturi throat cross-section was 24 mm x 35 mm, and the throat length varied from 63 to 140 mm. Liquid was injected through a single orifice (1.0 mm diameter) on the throat wall. This arrangement allowed the study of the influence of jet penetration on droplet distribution. Gas velocity at the throat was 58.3 and 74.6 m/s, and the liquid flow rate was 286, 559 and 853 ml/min. A probe with a 2.7 mm internal diameter was used to isokinetically remove liquid from several positions inside the equipment. It was possible to study liquid distribution close to the injection point. A new model for droplet dispersion, which incorporates the new description of the jet atomization process developed by the present authors in the first article of this series, is proposed and evaluated. The model predicted well the experimental data.

  15. Freezing of Water Droplet due to Evaporation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Satoh, Isao; Fushinobu, Kazuyoshi; Hashimoto, Yu

    In this study, the feasibility of cooling/freezing of phase change.. materials(PCMs) due to evaporation for cold storage systems was experimentally examined. A pure water was used as the test PCM, since the latent heat due to evaporation of water is about 7 times larger than that due to freezing. A water droplet, the diameter of which was 1-4 mm, was suspended in a test cell by a fine metal wire (O. D.= 100μm),and the cell was suddenly evacuated up to the pressure lower than the triple-point pressure of water, so as to enhance the evaporation from the water surface. Temperature of the droplet was measured by a thermocouple, and the cooling/freezing behavior and the temperature profile of the droplet surface were captured by using a video camera and an IR thermo-camera, respectively. The obtained results showed that the water droplet in the evacuated cell is effectively cooled by the evaporation of water itself, and is frozen within a few seconds through remarkable supercooling state. When the initial temperature of the droplet is slightly higher than the room temperature, boiling phenomena occur in the droplet simultaneously with the freezing due to evaporation. Under such conditions, it was shown that the degree of supercooling of the droplet is reduced by the bubbles generated in the droplet.

  16. Review of Membrane Oxygen Enrichment for Efficient Combustion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ariono, Danu; Kusuma Wardani, Anita

    2017-07-01

    Oxygen enrichment from air is a simple way of increasing the efficiency of combustion process, as in oxy-combustion. Oxy-combustion has become one of the most attracting combustion technologies because of its potential to address both pollutant reduction and CO2 capture. In oxy-combustion, the fuel and recycled flue gas are combusted with oxygen enriched air (OEA). By using OEA, many benefits can be obtained, such as increasing available heat, improving ignition characteristics, flue gas reduction, increasing productivity, energy efficiency, turndown ratio, and flame stability. Membrane-based gas separation for OEA production becomes an attractive technology over the conventional technology due to the some advantages, including low capital cost, low energy consumption, compact size, and modularity. A single pass through membrane usually can enrich O2 concentration in the air up to 35% and a 50% concentration can be achieved with a double pass of membrane. The use of OEA in the combustion process eliminates the presence of nitrogen in the flue gas. Hence, the flue gas is mainly composed of CO2 and condensable water that can be easily separated. This paper gives an overview of oxy-combustion with membrane technology for oxygen enrichment process. Special attention is given to OEA production and the effect of OEA to the efficiency of combustion.

  17. Spray combustion of biomass-based renewable diesel fuel using multiple injection strategy in a constant volume combustion chamber

    KAUST Repository

    Jing, Wei

    2016-05-26

    Effect of a two-injection strategy associated with a pilot injection on the spray combustion process was investigated under conventional diesel combustion conditions (1000 K and 21% O2 concentration) for a biomass-based renewable diesel fuel, i.e., biomass to liquid (BTL), and a regular No. 2 diesel in a constant volume combustion chamber using multiband flame measurement and two-color pyrometry. The spray combustion flame structure was visualized by using multiband flame measurement to show features of soot formation, high temperature and low temperature reactions, which can be characterized by the narrow-band emissions of radicals or intermediate species such as OH, HCHO, and CH. The objective of this study was to identify the details of multiple injection combustion, including a pilot and a main injection, and to provide further insights on how the two injections interact. For comparison, three injection strategies were considered for both fuels including a two-injection strategy (Case TI), single injection strategy A (Case SA), and single injection strategy B (Case SB). Multiband flame results show a strong interaction, indicated by OH emissions between the pilot injection and the main injection for Case TI while very weak connection is found for the narrow-band emissions acquired through filters with centerlines of 430 nm and 470 nm. A faster flame development is found for the main injection of Case TI compared to Cases SA and SB, which could be due to the high temperature environment and large air entrainment from the pilot injection. A lower soot level is observed for the BTL flame compared to the diesel flame for all three injection types. Case TI has a lower soot level compared to Cases SA and SB for the BTL fuel, while the diesel fuel maintains a similar soot level among all three injection strategies. Soot temperature of Case TI is lower for both fuels, especially for diesel. Based on these results, it is expected that the two-injection strategy could be

  18. 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

  19. Droplet sizes, dynamics and deposition in vertical annular flow

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lopes, J.C.B.; Dukler, A.E.

    1985-10-01

    The role of droplets in vertical upwards annular flow is investigated, focusing on the droplet size distributions, dynamics, and deposition phenomena. An experimental program was performed based on a new laser optical technique developed in these laboratories and implemented here for annular flow. This permitted the simultaneous measurement of droplet size, axial and radial velocity. The dependence of droplet size distributions on flow conditions is analyzed. The Upper-Log Normal function proves to be a good model for the size distribution. The mechanism controlling the maximum stable drop size was found to result from the interaction of the pressure fluctuations of the turbulent flow of the gas core with the droplet. The average axial droplet velocity showed a weak dependence on gas rates. This can be explained once the droplet size distribution and droplet size-velocity relationship are analyzed simultaneously. The surprising result from the droplet conditional analysis is that larger droplet travel faster than smaller ones. This dependence cannot be explained if the drag curves used do not take into account the high levels of turbulence present in the gas core in annular flow. If these are considered, then interesting new situations of multiplicity and stability of droplet terminal velocities are encountered. Also, the observed size-velocity relationship can be explained. A droplet deposition is formulated based on the particle inertia control. This permitted the calculation of rates of drop deposition directly from the droplet size and velocities data

  20. Comparison of capacitive and radio frequency resonator sensors for monitoring parallelized droplet microfluidic production

    KAUST Repository

    Conchouso Gonzalez, David

    2016-06-28

    Scaled-up production of microfluidic droplets, through the parallelization of hundreds of droplet generators, has received a lot of attention to bring novel multiphase microfluidics research to industrial applications. However, apart from droplet generation, other significant challenges relevant to this goal have never been discussed. Examples include monitoring systems, high-throughput processing of droplets and quality control procedures among others. In this paper, we present and compare capacitive and radio frequency (RF) resonator sensors as two candidates that can measure the dielectric properties of emulsions in microfluidic channels. By placing several of these sensors in a parallelization device, the stability of the droplet generation at different locations can be compared, and potential malfunctions can be detected. This strategy enables for the first time the monitoring of scaled-up microfluidic droplet production. Both sensors were prototyped and characterized using emulsions with droplets of 100-150 μm in diameter, which were generated in parallelization devices at water-in-oil volume fractions (φ) between 11.1% and 33.3%.Using these sensors, we were able to measure accurately increments as small as 2.4% in the water volume fraction of the emulsions. Although both methods rely on the dielectric properties of the emulsions, the main advantage of the RF resonator sensors is the fact that they can be designed to resonate at multiple frequencies of the broadband transmission line. Consequently with careful design, two or more sensors can be parallelized and read out by a single signal. Finally, a comparison between these sensors based on their sensitivity, readout cost and simplicity, and design flexibility is also discussed. © 2016 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

  1. Emulsion droplet interactions: a front-tracking treatment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mason, Lachlan; Juric, Damir; Chergui, Jalel; Shin, Seungwon; Craster, Richard V.; Matar, Omar K.

    2017-11-01

    Emulsion coalescence influences a multitude of industrial applications including solvent extraction, oil recovery and the manufacture of fast-moving consumer goods. Droplet interaction models are vital for the design and scale-up of processing systems, however predictive modelling at the droplet-scale remains a research challenge. This study simulates industrially relevant moderate-inertia collisions for which a high degree of droplet deformation occurs. A hybrid front-tracking/level-set approach is used to automatically account for interface merging without the need for `bookkeeping' of interface connectivity. The model is implemented in Code BLUE using a parallel multi-grid solver, allowing both film and droplet-scale dynamics to be resolved efficiently. Droplet interaction simulations are validated using experimental sequences from the literature in the presence and absence of background turbulence. The framework is readily extensible for modelling the influence of surfactants and non-Newtonian fluids on droplet interaction processes. EPSRC, UK, MEMPHIS program Grant (EP/K003976/1), RAEng Research Chair (OKM), PETRONAS.

  2. Experimental test of liquid droplet radiator performance

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    The liquid droplet radiator (LDR) is a heat rejection system for space power systems wherein an array of heated liquid droplets radiates energy directly to space. The use of submillimeter droplets provides large radiating area-to-mass ratio, resulting in radiator systems which are several times lighter than conventional solid surface radiators. An experiment is described in which the power radiated by an array of 2300 streams of silicone oil droplets is measured to test a previously developed theory of the LDR radiation process. This system would be capable of rejecting several kW of heat in space. Furthermore, it would be suitable as a modular unit of an LDR designed for 100-kW power levels. The experiment provided confirmation of the theoretical dependence of droplet array emissivity on optical depth. It also demonstrated the ability to create an array of more than 1000 droplet streams having a divergence less than 1 degree.

  3. Millifluidic droplet analyser for microbiology

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Baraban, L.; Bertholle, F.; Salverda, M.L.M.; Bremond, N.; Panizza, P.; Baudry, J.; Visser, de J.A.G.M.; Bibette, J.

    2011-01-01

    We present a novel millifluidic droplet analyser (MDA) for precisely monitoring the dynamics of microbial populations over multiple generations in numerous (=103) aqueous emulsion droplets (100 nL). As a first application, we measure the growth rate of a bacterial strain and determine the minimal

  4. Targeting the motor regulator Klar to lipid droplets

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Einstein Jenifer

    2011-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background In Drosophila, the transport regulator Klar displays tissue-specific localization: In photoreceptors, it is abundant on the nuclear envelope; in early embryos, it is absent from nuclei, but instead present on lipid droplets. Differential targeting of Klar appears to be due to isoform variation. Droplet targeting, in particular, has been suggested to occur via a variant C-terminal region, the LD domain. Although the LD domain is necessary and sufficient for droplet targeting in cultured cells, lack of specific reagents had made it previously impossible to analyze its role in vivo. Results Here we describe a new mutant allele of klar with a lesion specifically in the LD domain; this lesion abolishes both droplet localization of Klar and the ability of Klar to regulate droplet motion. It does not disrupt Klar's function for nuclear migration in photoreceptors. Using a GFP-LD fusion, we show that the LD domain is not only necessary but also sufficient for droplet targeting in vivo; it mediates droplet targeting in embryos, in ovaries, and in a number of somatic tissues. Conclusions Our analysis demonstrates that droplet targeting of Klar occurs via a cis-acting sequence and generates a new tool for monitoring lipid droplets in living tissues of Drosophila.

  5. 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.

  6. Modeling Evaporation and Particle Assembly in Colloidal Droplets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Mingfei; Yong, Xin

    2017-06-13

    Evaporation-induced assembly of nanoparticles in a drying droplet is of great importance in many engineering applications, including printing, coating, and thin film processing. The investigation of particle dynamics in evaporating droplets can provide fundamental hydrodynamic insight for revealing the processing-structure relationship in the particle self-organization induced by solvent evaporation. We develop a free-energy-based multiphase lattice Boltzmann method coupled with Brownian dynamics to simulate evaporating colloidal droplets on solid substrates with specified wetting properties. The influence of interface-bound nanoparticles on the surface tension and evaporation of a flat liquid-vapor interface is first quantified. The results indicate that the particles at the interface reduce surface tension and enhance evaporation flux. For evaporating particle-covered droplets on substrates with different wetting properties, we characterize the increase of evaporate rate via measuring droplet volume. We find that droplet evaporation is determined by the number density and circumferential distribution of interfacial particles. We further correlate particle dynamics and assembly to the evaporation-induced convection in the bulk and on the surface of droplet. Finally, we observe distinct final deposits from evaporating colloidal droplets with bulk-dispersed and interface-bound particles. In addition, the deposit pattern is also influenced by the equilibrium contact angle of droplet.

  7. Electrical Aspects of Flames in Microgravity Combustion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dunn-Rankin, D.; Strayer, B.; Weinberg, F.; Carleton, F.

    1999-01-01

    A principal characteristic of combustion in microgravity is the absence of buoyancy driven flows. In some cases, such as for spherically symmetrical droplet burning, the absence of buoyancy is desirable for matching analytical treatments with experiments. In other cases, however, it can be more valuable to arbitrarily control the flame's convective environment independent of the environmental gravitational condition. To accomplish this, we propose the use of ion generated winds driven by electric fields to control local convection of flames. Such control can produce reduced buoyancy (effectively zero buoyancy) conditions in the laboratory in 1-g facilitating a wide range of laser diagnostics that can probe the system without special packaging required for drop tower or flight tests. In addition, the electric field generated ionic winds allow varying gravitational convection equivalents even if the test occurs in reduced gravity environments.

  8. Highly time-resolved imaging of combustion and pyrolysis product concentrations in solid fuel combustion: NO formation in a burning cigarette.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zimmermann, Ralf; Hertz-Schünemann, Romy; Ehlert, Sven; Liu, Chuan; McAdam, Kevin; Baker, Richard; Streibel, Thorsten

    2015-02-03

    The highly dynamic, heterogeneous combustion process within a burning cigarette was investigated by a miniaturized extractive sampling probe (microprobe) coupled to photoionization mass spectrometry using soft laser single photon ionization (SPI) for online real-time detection of molecular ions of combustion and pyrolysis products. Research cigarettes smoked by a smoking machine are used as a reproducible model system for solid-state biomass combustion, which up to now is not addressable by current combustion-diagnostic tools. By combining repetitively recorded online measurement sequences from different sampling locations in an imaging approach, highly time- and space-resolved quantitative distribution maps of, e.g., nitrogen monoxide, benzene, and oxygen concentrations were obtained at a near microscopic level. The obtained quantitative distribution maps represent a time-resolved, movie-like imaging of the respective compound's formation and destruction zones in the various combustion and pyrolysis regions of a cigarette during puffing. Furthermore, spatially resolved kinetic data were ascertainable. The here demonstrated methodology can also be applied to various heterogenic combustion/pyrolysis or reaction model systems, such as fossil- or biomass-fuel pellet combustion or to a positional resolved analysis of heterogenic catalytic reactions.

  9. The validity of multiphase DNS initialized on the basis of single--point statistics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Subramaniam, Shankar

    1999-11-01

    A study of the point--process statistical representation of a spray reveals that single--point statistical information contained in the droplet distribution function (ddf) is related to a sequence of single surrogate--droplet pdf's, which are in general different from the physical single--droplet pdf's. The results of this study have important consequences for the initialization and evolution of direct numerical simulations (DNS) of multiphase flows, which are usually initialized on the basis of single--point statistics such as the average number density in physical space. If multiphase DNS are initialized in this way, this implies that even the initial representation contains certain implicit assumptions concerning the complete ensemble of realizations, which are invalid for general multiphase flows. Also the evolution of a DNS initialized in this manner is shown to be valid only if an as yet unproven commutation hypothesis holds true. Therefore, it is questionable to what extent DNS that are initialized in this manner constitute a direct simulation of the physical droplets.

  10. 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.

  11. 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.

  12. Theoretical and experimental studies on emissions from wood combustion

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Skreiberg, Oeyvind

    1997-12-31

    This thesis discusses experiments on emissions from wood log combustion and single wood particle combustion, both caused by incomplete combustion and emissions of nitric and nitrous oxide, together with empirical and kinetic NO{sub x} modelling. Experiments were performed in three different wood stoves: a traditional stove, a staged air stove and a stove equipped with a catalytic afterburner. Ideally, biomass fuel does not give a net contribution to the greenhouse effect. However, incomplete combustion was found to result in significant greenhouse gas emissions. Empirical modelling showed the excess air ratio and the combustion chamber temperature to be the most important input variables controlling the total fuel-N to NO{sub x} conversion factor. As the result of an international round robin test of a wood stove equipped with a catalytic afterburner, particle emission measurements were found to be the best method to evaluate the environmental acceptability of the tested stove, since the particle emission level was least dependent of the national standards, test procedures and calculation procedures used. In batch single wood particle combustion experiments on an electrically heated small-scale fixed bed reactor the fuel-N to NO conversion factor varied between 0.11-0.86 depending on wood species and operating conditions. A parameter study and homogeneous kinetic modelling on a plug flow reactor showed that, depending on the combustion compliance in question, there is an optimum combination of primary excess air ratio, temperature and residence time that gives a maximum conversion of fuel-N to N{sub 2}. 70 refs., 100 figs., 26 tabs.

  13. Droplet size in a rectangular Venturi scrubber

    OpenAIRE

    Costa, M. A. M.; Henrique, P. R.; Gonçalves, J. A. S.; Coury, J.R.

    2004-01-01

    The Venturi scrubber is a device which uses liquid in the form of droplets to efficiently remove fine particulate matter from gaseous streams. Droplet size is of fundamental importance for the scrubber performance. In the present experimental study, a laser diffraction technique was used in order to measure droplet size in situ in a Venturi scrubber with a rectangular cross section. Droplet size distribution was measured as a function of gas velocity (58.3 to 74.9 m/s), liquid-to-gas ratio (0...

  14. Vertical motion and elastic light-scattering of a laser-levitated water droplet

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chan, C. W.; Lee, W. K.

    2001-01-01

    We report the vertical motion and elastic scattered light of a single laser-levitated water microdroplet as it slowly evaporated. The vertical displacement as a function of time exhibited peaks of a variety of widths. Morphology-dependent resonances (MDRs) that induced the displacement peaks were identified. We found that the Stokes equation is adequate to describe the vertical motions driven by broad MDRs. For motions driven by relatively narrow MDRs, significant deviations from results predicted by the Stokes equation were found. The elastic scattered light intensity as a function of the size of the droplet showed sudden increases attributable to deformations of the droplet as its size parameter scanned through narrow MDRs. Copyright 2001 Optical Society of America

  15. New models for droplet heating and evaporation

    KAUST Repository

    Sazhin, Sergei S.

    2013-02-01

    A brief summary of new models for droplet heating and evaporation, developed mainly at the Sir Harry Ricardo Laboratory of the University of Brighton during 2011-2012, is presented. These are hydrodynamic models for mono-component droplet heating and evaporation, taking into account the effects of the moving boundary due to evaporation, hydrodynamic models of multi-component droplet heating and evaporation, taking and not taking into account the effects of the moving boundary, new kinetic models of mono-component droplet heating and evaporation, and a model for mono-component droplet evaporation, based on molecular dynamics simulation. The results, predicted by the new models are compared with experimental data and the prehctions of the previously developed models where possible. © 2013 Asian Network for Scientific Information.

  16. Effect of combustion characteristics on wall radiative heat flux in a 100 MWe oxy-coal combustion plant

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Park, S.; Ryu, C. [Sungkyunkwan Univ., Suwon (Korea, Republic of). School of Mechanical Engineering; Chae, T.Y. [Sungkyunkwan Univ., Suwon (Korea, Republic of). School of Mechanical Engineering; Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, Cheonan (Korea, Republic of). Energy System R and D Group; Yang, W. [Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, Cheonan (Korea, Republic of). Energy System R and D Group; Kim, Y.; Lee, S.; Seo, S. [Korea Electric Power Research Institute (KEPRI), Daejeon (Korea, Republic of). Power Generation Lab.

    2013-07-01

    Oxy-coal combustion exhibits different reaction, flow and heat transfer characteristics from air-coal combustion due to different properties of oxidizer and flue gas composition. This study investigated the wall radiative heat flux (WRHF) of air- and oxy-coal combustion in a simple hexahedral furnace and in a 100 MWe single-wall-fired boiler using computational modeling. The hexahedral furnace had similar operation conditions with the boiler, but the coal combustion was ignored by prescribing the gas properties after complete combustion at the inlet. The concentrations of O{sub 2} in the oxidizers ranging between 26 and 30% and different flue gas recirculation (FGR) methods were considered in the furnace. In the hexahedral furnace, the oxy-coal case with 28% of O{sub 2} and wet FGR had a similar value of T{sub af} with the air-coal combustion case, but its WRHF was 12% higher. The mixed FGR case with about 27% O{sub 2} in the oxidizer exhibited the WRHF similar to the air-coal case. During the actual combustion in the 100 MWe boiler using mixed FGR, the reduced volumetric flow rates in the oxy-coal cases lowered the swirl strength of the burners. This stretched the flames and moved the high temperature region farther to the downstream. Due to this reason, the case with 30% O{sub 2} in the oxidizers achieved a WRHF close to that of air-coal combustion, although its adiabatic flame temperature (T{sub af}) and WHRF predicted in the simplified hexahedral furnace was 103 K and 10% higher, respectively. Therefore, the combustion characteristics and temperature distribution significantly influences the WRHF, which should be assessed to determine the ideal operating conditions of oxy- coal combustion. The choice of the weighted sum of gray gases model (WSGGM) was not critical in the large coal-fired boiler.

  17. Liquid droplet radiator performance studies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mattick, A. T.; Hertzberg, A.

    By making use of droplets rather than solid surfaces to radiate waste heat in space, the liquid droplet radiator (LDR) achieves a radiating area/mass much larger than that of conventional radiators which use fins or heat pipes. The lightweight potential of the LDR is shown to be limited primarily by the radiative properties of the droplets. The requirement that the LDR heat transfer fluid have a very low vapor pressure limits the choice of fluids to relatively few—several liquid metals and Dow 705 silicone fluid are the only suitable candidates so far identified. An experimental determination of the emittance of submillimeter droplets of Dow 705 fluid indicates than an LDR using this fluid at temperatures of 275-335 K would be ⋍ 10 times lighter than the lightest solid surface radiators. Although several liquid metals appear to offer excellent performance in LDR applications at temperatures between 200 K and 975 K, experimental determination of liquid metal emissivities is needed for a conclusive assessment.

  18. Numerical simulation of ammonium dinitramide (ADN)-based non-toxic aerospace propellant decomposition and combustion in a monopropellant thruster

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Tao; Li, Guoxiu; Yu, Yusong; Sun, Zuoyu; Wang, Meng; Chen, Jun

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Decomposition and combustion process of ADN-based thruster are studied. • Distribution of droplets is obtained during the process of spray hit on wire mesh. • Two temperature models are adopted to describe the heat transfer in porous media. • The influences brought by different mass flux and porosity are studied. - Abstract: Ammonium dinitramide (ADN) monopropellant is currently the most promising among all ‘green propellants’. In this paper, the decomposition and combustion process of liquid ADN-based ternary mixtures for propulsion are numerically studied. The R–R distribution model is used to study the initial boundary conditions of droplet distribution resulting from spray hit on a wire mesh based on PDA experiment. To simulate the heat-transfer characteristics between the gas–solid phases, a two-temperature porous medium model in a catalytic bed is used. An 11-species and 7-reactions chemistry model is used to study the catalytic and combustion processes. The final distribution of temperature, pressure, and other kinds of material component concentrations are obtained using the ADN thruster. The results of simulation conducted in the present study are well agree with previous experimental data, and the demonstration of the ADN thruster confirms that a good steady-state operation is achieved. The effects of spray inlet mass flux and porosity on monopropellant thruster performance are analyzed. The numerical results further show that a larger inlet mass flux results in better thruster performance and a catalytic bed porosity value of 0.5 can exhibit the best thruster performance. These findings can serve as a key reference for designing and testing non-toxic aerospace monopropellant thrusters

  19. Droplet size in a rectangular Venturi scrubber

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. A. M. Costa

    2004-06-01

    Full Text Available The Venturi scrubber is a device which uses liquid in the form of droplets to efficiently remove fine particulate matter from gaseous streams. Droplet size is of fundamental importance for the scrubber performance. In the present experimental study, a laser diffraction technique was used in order to measure droplet size in situ in a Venturi scrubber with a rectangular cross section. Droplet size distribution was measured as a function of gas velocity (58.3 to 74.9 m/s, liquid-to-gas ratio (0.07 to 0.27 l/m³, and distance from liquid injection point (64 to 173 mm. It was found that all these variables significantly affect droplet size. The results were compared with the predictions from correlations found in the literature.

  20. Method for Increasing the Efficiency of Automatic Fire Extinguish System at Objects Of Power

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dmitrienko Margarita

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Operation of energy facilities requires compliance with all safety standards, and especially fire safety. Emergency situations that arise when operated the power equipment damage not only the objects of the technosphere but also the environment. In recent years, can be noted a trend of quite intensive development of technological bases of technology water mist fire extinguishing. Using the methods of optical panoramic imaging PIV, IPI and the method of high-speed video recording were performed the experimental studies of the characteristics of evaporation of large single water droplets as they pass through the flames of oil and oil products with varying parameters of the processes (the initial size of 2–6 mm, the rate of 2–4 m/s and the temperature of water drops 290–300 K, the temperature of the combustion products 185–2073 K. Was established decisive influence droplet size, velocities at which droplets enter the gaseous medium, the initial water temperature on heating rate and evaporation of droplets in a stream of high-temperature combustion products.

  1. Droplet Epitaxy Image Contrast in Mirror Electron Microscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kennedy, S. M.; Zheng, C. X.; Jesson, D. E.

    2017-01-01

    Image simulation methods are applied to interpret mirror electron microscopy (MEM) images obtained from a movie of GaAs droplet epitaxy. Cylindrical symmetry of structures grown by droplet epitaxy is assumed in the simulations which reproduce the main features of the experimental MEM image contrast, demonstrating that droplet epitaxy can be studied in real-time. It is therefore confirmed that an inner ring forms at the droplet contact line and an outer ring (or skirt) occurs outside the droplet periphery. We believe that MEM combined with image simulations will be increasingly used to study the formation and growth of quantum structures.

  2. Micro-Particles Motion in an Evaporating Droplet

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jung, Jung Yeul; Yoo, Jung Yul; Kim, Young Won

    2007-01-01

    Nano-particles (on the order of 1 to 100 nm) contained within the droplet are moved by liquid flow and stacked at the contact line. The self-pinned contact line under the evaporating droplet is very interesting in the field of patterning and separation of particles and biocells. Models accounting for the nano-particles' flow and deposit patterns have been reported and verified by various experiments. Here, we report for the first time a phenomenon where micro-particles (on the order of 1 μm) in the colloid droplet flow to the center of droplet. There are three modes of fluid and particle flow in the evaporating droplet. In the first mode, a self-pinned contact line is maintained and the fluid and micro/nano-particles flow to the contact line. In the second mode, micro/nano-particles self-assemble at the near contact line, as reported by Jung and Kwak. In the final mode, only micro-particles are adverted to the center of the droplet due to movement of the contact line

  3. Fusion of microlitre water-in-oil droplets for simple, fast and green chemical assays.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chiu, S-H; Urban, P L

    2015-08-07

    A simple format for microscale chemical assays is proposed. It does not require the use of test tubes, microchips or microtiter plates. Microlitre-range (ca. 0.7-5.0 μL) aqueous droplets are generated by a commercial micropipette in a non-polar matrix inside a Petri dish. When two droplets are pipetted nearby, they spontaneously coalesce within seconds, priming a chemical reaction. Detection of the reaction product is accomplished by colorimetry, spectrophotometry, or fluorimetry using simple light-emitting diode (LED) arrays as the sources of monochromatic light, while chemiluminescence detection of the analytes present in single droplets is conducted in the dark. A smartphone camera is used as the detector. The limits of detection obtained for the developed in-droplet assays are estimated to be: 1.4 nmol (potassium permanganate by colorimetry), 1.4 pmol (fluorescein by fluorimetry), and 580 fmol (sodium hypochlorite by chemiluminescence detection). The format has successfully been used to monitor the progress of chemical and biochemical reactions over time with sub-second resolution. A semi-quantitative analysis of ascorbic acid using Tillman's reagent is presented. A few tens of individual droplets can be scanned in parallel. Rapid switching of the LED light sources with different wavelengths enables a spectral analysis of multiple droplets. Very little solid waste is produced. The assay matrix is readily recycled, thus the volume of liquid waste produced each time is also very small (typically, 1-10 μL per analysis). Various water-immiscible translucent liquids can be used as the reaction matrix: including silicone oil, 1-octanol as well as soybean cooking oil.

  4. Controlled tungsten melting and droplet ejection studies in ASDEX Upgrade

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Krieger, K; Lunt, T; Dux, R; Janzer, A; Müller, H W; Potzel, S; Pütterich, T; Yang, Z

    2011-01-01

    Tungsten rods of 1×1×3 mm 3 were exposed in single H-mode discharges at the outer divertor target plate of ASDEX Upgrade using the divertor manipulator system. Melting of the W rod at a pre-defined time was induced by moving the initially far away outer strike point close to the W-rod position. Visible light emissions of both the W pin and consecutively ejected W droplets were recorded by two fast cameras with crossed viewing cones. The time evolution of the local W source at the pin location was measured by spectroscopic observation of the WI line emission at 400.9 nm and compared to the subsequent increase of tungsten concentration in the confined plasma derived from tungsten vacuum UV line emission. Combining these measurements with the total amount of released tungsten due to the pin melt events and ejected droplets allowed us to derive an estimate of the screening factor for this type of tungsten source. The resulting values of the tungsten divertor retention in the range 10-20 agree with those found in previous studies using a W source of sublimated W(CO) 6 vapour at the same exposure location. Ejected droplets were found to be always accelerated in the general direction of the plasma flow, attributed to friction forces and to rocket forces. Furthermore, the vertically inclined target plates cause the droplets, which are repelled by the target plate surface potential due to their electric charge, to move upwards against gravity due to the centrifugal force component parallel to the target plate.

  5. Probing droplets with biological colloidal suspensions on smart surfaces by synchrotron radiation micro- and nano-beams

    KAUST Repository

    Marinaro, Giovanni

    2015-03-01

    Droplets with colloidal biological suspensions evaporating on substrates with defined wetting properties generate confined environments for initiating aggregation and self-assembly processes. We describe smart micro- and nanostructured surfaces, optimized for probing single droplets and residues by synchrotron radiation micro- and nanobeam diffraction techniques. Applications are presented for Ac-IVD and β-amyloid (1-42) peptides capable of forming cross-β sheet structures. Complementary synchrotron radiation FTIR microspectroscopy addresses secondary structure formation. The high synchrotron radiation source brilliance enables fast raster-scan experiments. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd.

  6. Probing droplets with biological colloidal suspensions on smart surfaces by synchrotron radiation micro- and nano-beams

    KAUST Repository

    Marinaro, Giovanni; Accardo, Angelo; Benseny-Cases, Nú ria; Burghammer, Manfred C.; Castillo-Michel, Hiram A.; Cotte, Marine; Dante, Silvia; De Angelis, Francesco De; Di Cola, Emanuela; Di Fabrizio, Enzo M.; Hauser, C.; Riekel, Christian

    2015-01-01

    Droplets with colloidal biological suspensions evaporating on substrates with defined wetting properties generate confined environments for initiating aggregation and self-assembly processes. We describe smart micro- and nanostructured surfaces, optimized for probing single droplets and residues by synchrotron radiation micro- and nanobeam diffraction techniques. Applications are presented for Ac-IVD and β-amyloid (1-42) peptides capable of forming cross-β sheet structures. Complementary synchrotron radiation FTIR microspectroscopy addresses secondary structure formation. The high synchrotron radiation source brilliance enables fast raster-scan experiments. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd.

  7. 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

  8. Investigation of the submodels for combustion; Polton osamallien kaeytettaevyys

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kjaeldman, L.; Huttunen, M.; Kyttaelae, J. [VTT Energy, Espoo (Finland)

    1997-10-01

    The capability for numerical analysis of flow, combustion and heat transfer in furnaces has been developed by improving the knowledge of the sensitivity of computed results on submodels recently implemented to the computational environment Ardemus owned by VTT Energy and Imatran Voima Oy. The submodels studied include models for combustion of gaseous (pyrolysed) fuel and for nitric oxide. The cases investigated included a gas flame and pulverized coal and peat combustion in single burner furnaces. The effect of grid refinement on the results was investigated for a corner fired power station furnace. (orig.)

  9. Combustion

    CERN Document Server

    Glassman, Irvin

    2008-01-01

    Combustion Engineering, a topic generally taught at the upper undergraduate and graduate level in most mechanical engineering programs, and many chemical engineering programs, is the study of rapid energy and mass transfer usually through the common physical phenomena of flame oxidation. It covers the physics and chemistry of this process and the engineering applications-from the generation of power such as the internal combustion automobile engine to the gas turbine engine. Renewed concerns about energy efficiency and fuel costs, along with continued concerns over toxic and particulate emissions have kept the interest in this vital area of engineering high and brought about new developments in both fundamental knowledge of flame and combustion physics as well as new technologies for flame and fuel control. *New chapter on new combustion concepts and technologies, including discussion on nanotechnology as related to combustion, as well as microgravity combustion, microcombustion, and catalytic combustion-all ...

  10. Hepatitis C Virus Core Protein Decreases Lipid Droplet Turnover

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harris, Charles; Herker, Eva; Farese, Robert V.; Ott, Melanie

    2011-01-01

    Steatosis is a frequent complication of hepatitis C virus infection. In mice, this condition is recapitulated by the expression of a single viral protein, the nucleocapsid core. Core localizes to the surface of lipid droplets (LDs) in infected liver cells through a process dependent on host diacylglycerol acyltransferase 1 (DGAT1), an enzyme that synthesizes triglycerides in the endoplasmic reticulum. Whether DGAT1 also plays a role in core-induced steatosis is uncertain. Here, we show that mouse embryonic fibroblasts isolated from DGAT1−/− mice are protected from core-induced steatosis, as are livers of DGAT1−/− mice expressing core, demonstrating that the steatosis is DGAT1-dependent. Surprisingly, core expression did not increase DGAT1 activity or triglyceride synthesis, thus excluding the possibility that core activates DGAT1 to cause steatosis. Instead, we find that DGAT1-dependent localization of core to LDs is a prerequisite for the steatogenic properties of the core. Using biochemical and immunofluorescence microscopy techniques, we show that the turnover of lipids in core-coated droplets is decreased, providing a physiological mechanism for core-induced steatosis. Our results support a bipartite model in which core first requires DGAT1 to gain access to LDs, and then LD-localized core interferes with triglyceride turnover, thus stabilizing lipid droplets and leading to steatosis. PMID:21984835

  11. Identification of seipin-linked factors that act as determinants of a lipid droplet subpopulation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Eisenberg-Bord, Michal; Mari, Muriel; Weill, Uri; Rosenfeld-Gur, Eden; Moldavski, Ofer; Castro, Ines G.; Soni, Krishnakant G.; Harpaz, Nofar; Levine, Tim P.; Futerman, Anthony H.; Reggiori, Fulvio; Bankaitis, Vytas A.; Schuldiner, Maya; Bohnert, Maria

    Functional heterogeneity within the lipid droplet (LD) pool of a single cell has been observed, yet the underlying mechanisms remain enigmatic. Here, we report on identification of a specialized LD subpopulation characterized by a unique proteome and a defined geographical location at the

  12. Interaction of Droplets Separated by an Elastic Film.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Tianshu; Xu, Xuejuan; Nadermann, Nichole; He, Zhenping; Jagota, Anand; Hui, Chung-Yuen

    2017-01-10

    The Laplace pressure of a droplet placed on one side of an elastic thin film can cause significant deformation in the form of a bulge on its opposite side. Here, we show that this deformation can be detected by other droplets suspended on the opposite side of the film, leading to interaction between droplets separated by the solid (but deformable) film. The interaction is repulsive when the drops have a large overlap and attractive when they have a small overlap. Thus, if two identical droplets are placed right on top of each other (one on either side of the thin film), they tend to repel each other, eventually reaching an equilibrium configuration where there is a small overlap. This observation can be explained by analyzing the energy landscape of the droplets interacting via an elastically deformed film. We further demonstrate this idea by designing a pattern comprising a big central drop with satellite droplets. This phenomenon can lead to techniques for directed motion of droplets confined to one side of a thin elastic membrane by manipulations on the other side.

  13. Combustion

    CERN Document Server

    Glassman, Irvin

    1997-01-01

    This Third Edition of Glassman's classic text clearly defines the role of chemistry, physics, and fluid mechanics as applied to the complex topic of combustion. Glassman's insightful introductory text emphasizes underlying physical and chemical principles, and encompasses engine technology, fire safety, materials synthesis, detonation phenomena, hydrocarbon fuel oxidation mechanisms, and environmental considerations. Combustion has been rewritten to integrate the text, figures, and appendixes, detailing available combustion codes, making it not only an excellent introductory text but also an important reference source for professionals in the field. Key Features * Explains complex combustion phenomena with physical insight rather than extensive mathematics * Clarifies postulates in the text using extensive computational results in figures * Lists modern combustion programs indicating usage and availability * Relates combustion concepts to practical applications.

  14. The Lipid Droplet – A Well-Connected Organelle

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qiang eGao

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Our knowledge of inter-organellar communication has grown exponentially in recent years. This review focuses on the interactions that cytoplasmic lipid droplets have with other organelles. Twenty-five years ago droplets were considered simply particles of coalesced fat. Ten years ago there were hints from proteomics studies that droplets might interact with other structures to share lipids and proteins. Now it is clear that the droplets interact with many if not most cellular structures to maintain cellular homeostasis and to buffer against insults such as starvation. The evidence for this statement, as well as probes to understand the nature and results of droplet interactions, are presented.

  15. Oxy-coal Combustion Studies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wendt, J. [Univ. of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT (United States); Eddings, E. [Univ. of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT (United States); Lighty, J. [Univ. of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT (United States); Ring, T. [Univ. of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT (United States); Smith, P. [Univ. of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT (United States); Thornock, J. [Univ. of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT (United States); Y Jia, W. Morris [Univ. of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT (United States); Pedel, J. [Univ. of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT (United States); Rezeai, D. [Univ. of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT (United States); Wang, L. [Univ. of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT (United States); Zhang, J. [Univ. of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT (United States); Kelly, K. [Univ. of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT (United States)

    2012-01-06

    The objective of this project is to move toward the development of a predictive capability with quantified uncertainty bounds for pilot-scale, single-burner, oxy-coal operation. This validation research brings together multi-scale experimental measurements and computer simulations. The combination of simulation development and validation experiments is designed to lead to predictive tools for the performance of existing air fired pulverized coal boilers that have been retrofitted to various oxy-firing configurations. In addition, this report also describes novel research results related to oxy-combustion in circulating fluidized beds. For pulverized coal combustion configurations, particular attention is focused on the effect of oxy-firing on ignition and coal-flame stability, and on the subsequent partitioning mechanisms of the ash aerosol.

  16. Spin lattices of walking droplets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saenz, Pedro; Pucci, Giuseppe; Goujon, Alexis; Dunkel, Jorn; Bush, John

    2017-11-01

    We present the results of an experimental investigation of the spontaneous emergence of collective behavior in spin lattice of droplets walking on a vibrating fluid bath. The bottom topography consists of relatively deep circular wells that encourage the walking droplets to follow circular trajectories centered at the lattice sites, in one direction or the other. Wave-mediated interactions between neighboring drops are enabled through a thin fluid layer between the wells. The sense of rotation of the walking droplets may thus become globally coupled. When the coupling is sufficiently strong, interactions with neighboring droplets may result in switches in spin that lead to preferred global arrangements, including correlated (all drops rotating in the same direction) or anti-correlated (neighboring drops rotating in opposite directions) states. Analogies with ferromagnetism and anti-ferromagnetism are drawn. Different spatial arrangements are presented in 1D and 2D lattices to illustrate the effects of topological frustration. This work was supported by the US National Science Foundation through Grants CMMI-1333242 and DMS-1614043.

  17. 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

  18. High-throughput screening of filamentous fungi using nanoliter-range droplet-based microfluidics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beneyton, Thomas; Wijaya, I. Putu Mahendra; Postros, Prexilia; Najah, Majdi; Leblond, Pascal; Couvent, Angélique; Mayot, Estelle; Griffiths, Andrew D.; Drevelle, Antoine

    2016-06-01

    Filamentous fungi are an extremely important source of industrial enzymes because of their capacity to secrete large quantities of proteins. Currently, functional screening of fungi is associated with low throughput and high costs, which severely limits the discovery of novel enzymatic activities and better production strains. Here, we describe a nanoliter-range droplet-based microfluidic system specially adapted for the high-throughput sceening (HTS) of large filamentous fungi libraries for secreted enzyme activities. The platform allowed (i) compartmentalization of single spores in ~10 nl droplets, (ii) germination and mycelium growth and (iii) high-throughput sorting of fungi based on enzymatic activity. A 104 clone UV-mutated library of Aspergillus niger was screened based on α-amylase activity in just 90 minutes. Active clones were enriched 196-fold after a single round of microfluidic HTS. The platform is a powerful tool for the development of new production strains with low cost, space and time footprint and should bring enormous benefit for improving the viability of biotechnological processes.

  19. Double-slit experiment with single wave-driven particles and its relation to quantum mechanics

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Anders Peter; Madsen, Jacob; Reichelt, Christian Günther

    2015-01-01

    even though it is possible to determine unambiguously which slit the walking droplet passes. Here we argue, however, that the single-particle statistics in such an experiment will be fundamentally different from the single-particle statistics of quantum mechanics. Quantum mechanical interference takes...... place between different classical paths with precise amplitude and phase relations. In the double-slit experiment with walking droplets, these relations are lost since one of the paths is singled out by the droplet. To support our conclusions, we have carried out our own double-slit experiment, and our...... results, in particular the long and variable slit passage times of the droplets, cast strong doubt on the feasibility of the interference claimed by Couder and Fort. To understand theoretically the limitations of wave-driven particle systems as analogs to quantum mechanics, we introduce a Schro...

  20. 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.

  1. Revised users manual, Pulverized Coal Gasification or Combustion: 2-dimensional (87-PCGC-2): Final report, Volume 2. [87-PCGC-2

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Smith, P.J.; Smoot, L.D.; Brewster, B.S.

    1987-12-01

    A two-dimensional, steady-state model for describing a variety of reactive and non-reactive flows, including pulverized coal combustion and gasification, is presented. Recent code revisions and additions are described. The model, referred to as 87-PCGC-2, is applicable to cylindrical axi-symmetric systems. Turbulence is accounted for in both the fluid mechanics equations and the combustion scheme. Radiation from gases, walls, and particles is taken into account using either a flux method or discrete ordinates method. The particle phase is modeled in a Lagrangian framework, such that mean paths of particle groups are followed. Several multi-step coal devolatilization schemes are included along with a heterogeneous reaction scheme that allows for both diffusion and chemical reaction. Major gas-phase reactions are modeled assuming local instantaneous equilibrium, and thus the reaction rates are limited by the turbulent rate mixing. A NO/sub x/ finite rate chemistry submodel is included which integrates chemical kinetics and the statistics of the turbulence. The gas phase is described by elliptic partial differential equations that are solved by an iterative line-by-line technique. Under-relaxation is used to achieve numerical stability. The generalized nature of the model allows for calculation of isothermal fluid mechanicsgaseous combustion, droplet combustion, particulate combustion and various mixtures of the above, including combustion of coal-water and coal-oil slurries. Both combustion and gasification environments are permissible. User information and theory are presented, along with sample problems. 106 refs.

  2. Dynamics of droplet breakup in a T-junction

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hoang, D.A.; Portela, L.M.; Kleijn, C.R.; Kreutzer, M.T.; Van Steijn, V.

    2013-01-01

    The breakup of droplets due to creeping motion in a confined microchannel geometry is studied using three-dimensional numerical simulations. Analogously to unconfined droplets, there exist two distinct breakup phases: (i) a quasi-steady droplet deformation driven by the externally applied flow; and

  3. Calculation and measurement of fog droplet size

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Laali, A.R.; Courant, J.J.; Kleitz, A.

    1991-01-01

    This paper outlines the elements involved in calculation and measurement of fog droplet size in steam turbines. The condensation calculations are performed for a 600 MW LP fossil fired, and for a 900 MW LP nuclear turbine. A simplified method based on classical condensation theory is used for these calculations. The fog droplet size measurement are carried out downstream of the last moving blades of these turbines in order to validate the program. The comparison between the results could lead to a better understanding of the condensation process in steam turbines. Some large droplet (re-entrained droplet) measurements are also taken using a microvideo probe

  4. Triacylglycerol Storage in Lipid Droplets in Procyclic Trypanosoma brucei.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stefan Allmann

    Full Text Available Carbon storage is likely to enable adaptation of trypanosomes to nutritional challenges or bottlenecks during their stage development and migration in the tsetse. Lipid droplets are candidates for this function. This report shows that feeding of T. brucei with oleate results in a 4-5 fold increase in the number of lipid droplets, as quantified by confocal fluorescence microscopy and by flow cytometry of BODIPY 493/503-stained cells. The triacylglycerol (TAG content also increased 4-5 fold, and labeled oleate is incorporated into TAG. Fatty acid carbon can thus be stored as TAG in lipid droplets under physiological growth conditions in procyclic T. brucei. β-oxidation has been suggested as a possible catabolic pathway for lipids in T. brucei. A single candidate gene, TFEα1 with coding capacity for a subunit of the trifunctional enzyme complex was identified. TFEα1 is expressed in procyclic T. brucei and present in glycosomal proteomes, Unexpectedly, a TFEα1 gene knock-out mutant still expressed wild-type levels of previously reported NADP-dependent 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase activity, and therefore, another gene encodes this enzymatic activity. Homozygous Δtfeα1/Δtfeα1 null mutant cells show a normal growth rate and an unchanged glycosomal proteome in procyclic T. brucei. The decay kinetics of accumulated lipid droplets upon oleate withdrawal can be fully accounted for by the dilution effect of cell division in wild-type and Δtfeα1/Δtfeα1 cells. The absence of net catabolism of stored TAG in procyclic T. brucei, even under strictly glucose-free conditions, does not formally exclude a flux through TAG, in which biosynthesis equals catabolism. Also, the possibility remains that TAG catabolism is completely repressed by other carbon sources in culture media or developmentally activated in post-procyclic stages in the tsetse.

  5. Parallel RNA extraction using magnetic beads and a droplet array.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shi, Xu; Chen, Chun-Hong; Gao, Weimin; Chao, Shih-Hui; Meldrum, Deirdre R

    2015-02-21

    Nucleic acid extraction is a necessary step for most genomic/transcriptomic analyses, but it often requires complicated mechanisms to be integrated into a lab-on-a-chip device. Here, we present a simple, effective configuration for rapidly obtaining purified RNA from low concentration cell medium. This Total RNA Extraction Droplet Array (TREDA) utilizes an array of surface-adhering droplets to facilitate the transportation of magnetic purification beads seamlessly through individual buffer solutions without solid structures. The fabrication of TREDA chips is rapid and does not require a microfabrication facility or expertise. The process takes less than 5 minutes. When purifying mRNA from bulk marine diatom samples, its repeatability and extraction efficiency are comparable to conventional tube-based operations. We demonstrate that TREDA can extract the total mRNA of about 10 marine diatom cells, indicating that the sensitivity of TREDA approaches single-digit cell numbers.

  6. 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.

  7. 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

  8. Direct Observations of Isoprene Secondary Organic Aerosol Formation in Ambient Cloud Droplets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zelenyuk, A.; Bell, D.; Thornton, J. A.; Fast, J. D.; Shrivastava, M. B.; Berg, L. K.; Imre, D. G.; Mei, F.; Shilling, J.; Suski, K. J.; Liu, J.; Tomlinson, J. M.; Wang, J.

    2017-12-01

    Multiphase chemistry of isoprene photooxidation products has been shown to be one of the major sources of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) in the atmosphere. A number of recent studies indicate that aqueous aerosol phase provides a medium for reactive uptake of isoprene photooxidation products, and in particular, isomeric isoprene epoxydiols (IEPOX), with reaction rates and yields being dependent on aerosol acidity, water content, sulfate concentration, and organic coatings. However, very few studies focused on chemistry occurring within actual cloud droplets. We will present data acquired during recent Holistic Interactions of Shallow Clouds, Aerosols, and Land Ecosystems (HI-SCALE) Campaign, which provide direct evidence for IEPOX-SOA formation in cloud droplets. Single particle mass spectrometer, miniSPLAT, and a high-resolution, time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer were used to characterize the composition of aerosol particles and cloud droplet residuals, while a high-resolution, time-of-flight chemical ionization mass spectrometer (HR-ToF-CIMS) was used to characterize gas-phase compounds. We find that the composition of cloud droplet residuals was markedly different than that of aerosol particles sampled outside the cloud. Cloud droplet residuals were comprised of individual particles with high relative fractions of sulfate and nitrate and significant fraction of particles with mass spectra that are nearly identical to those of laboratory-generated IEPOX-SOA particles. The observed cloud-induced formation of IEPOX-SOA was accompanied by simultaneous decrease in measured concentrations of IEPOX and other gas-phase isoprene photooxidation products. Ultimately, the combined cloud, aerosol, and gas-phase measurements conducted during HI-SCALE will be used to develop and evaluate model treatments of aqueous-phase isoprene SOA formation.

  9. Combustion engineering

    CERN Document Server

    Ragland, Kenneth W

    2011-01-01

    Introduction to Combustion Engineering The Nature of Combustion Combustion Emissions Global Climate Change Sustainability World Energy Production Structure of the Book   Section I: Basic Concepts Fuels Gaseous Fuels Liquid Fuels Solid Fuels Problems Thermodynamics of Combustion Review of First Law Concepts Properties of Mixtures Combustion StoichiometryChemical EnergyChemical EquilibriumAdiabatic Flame TemperatureChemical Kinetics of CombustionElementary ReactionsChain ReactionsGlobal ReactionsNitric Oxide KineticsReactions at a Solid SurfaceProblemsReferences  Section II: Combustion of Gaseous and Vaporized FuelsFlamesLaminar Premixed FlamesLaminar Flame TheoryTurbulent Premixed FlamesExplosion LimitsDiffusion FlamesGas-Fired Furnaces and BoilersEnergy Balance and EfficiencyFuel SubstitutionResidential Gas BurnersIndustrial Gas BurnersUtility Gas BurnersLow Swirl Gas BurnersPremixed-Charge Engine CombustionIntroduction to the Spark Ignition EngineEngine EfficiencyOne-Zone Model of Combustion in a Piston-...

  10. Laser diagnostics in combustion. Elastic scattering and picosecond laser-induced fluorescence

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ossler, Frederik

    1999-05-01

    Elastic scattering and the Lorenz-Mie (LM) theory in particular is used for the characterization of sub-micron- and micron-sized droplets of organic fuels in sprays and aerosols. Calculations on the Lorenz-Mie theory show that backward-sideward scattered visible radiation can be used for unambiguous detection of ensembles of homogeneous droplets of organic substances with diameters around 1 micrometer (size parameter between 2 and 6). A backward feature in the polarization ratio appears with a value considerably higher than one, on the opposite to the case of the rainbow observed for larger droplets. A comparison between measurements and LM calculations showed that a large amount of droplets in aerosols and well-atomized sprays were smaller than one micrometer in diameter. The LM theory was also used to characterize different size groups in a burning spray. A 3 - D technique based on a picosecond laser and a streak camera was demonstrated for measurements of fast and turbulent biphase flows. The entire 3 - D information was obtained within a time-span of less than 15 nanoseconds. A 2 - D technique for lifetime measurements based on a picosecond laser and a streak camera has been demonstrated on static objects. An analysis indicates that the technique may be applied to measurements of lifetimes around or below one picosecond employing femtosecond lasers and femtosecond streak-cameras. The technique may in principle be used to study dynamic systems when two detectors are used. Fluorescence lifetime measurements on hydrogen and oxygen atoms in flames at atmospheric pressure demonstrate the need of lasers with suiting spectral properties such as jitter and linewidth and the need of detectors with high sensitivity in the near IR in the case of oxygen atoms. The fluorescence lifetimes of gas phase acetone and 3-pentanone at 266 nm excitation wavelength have been measured for mixtures with nitrogen and air at temperatures between 323 and 723 K and pressures between 0

  11. Spontaneous droplet trampolining on rigid superhydrophobic surfaces

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schutzius, Thomas M.; Jung, Stefan; Maitra, Tanmoy; Graeber, Gustav; Köhme, Moritz; Poulikakos, Dimos

    2015-11-01

    Spontaneous removal of condensed matter from surfaces is exploited in nature and in a broad range of technologies to achieve self-cleaning, anti-icing and condensation control. But despite much progress, our understanding of the phenomena leading to such behaviour remains incomplete, which makes it challenging to rationally design surfaces that benefit from its manifestation. Here we show that water droplets resting on superhydrophobic textured surfaces in a low-pressure environment can self-remove through sudden spontaneous levitation and subsequent trampoline-like bouncing behaviour, in which sequential collisions with the surface accelerate the droplets. These collisions have restitution coefficients (ratios of relative speeds after and before collision) greater than unity despite complete rigidity of the surface, and thus seemingly violate the second law of thermodynamics. However, these restitution coefficients result from an overpressure beneath the droplet produced by fast droplet vaporization while substrate adhesion and surface texture restrict vapour flow. We also show that the high vaporization rates experienced by the droplets and the associated cooling can result in freezing from a supercooled state that triggers a sudden increase in vaporization, which in turn boosts the levitation process. This effect can spontaneously remove surface icing by lifting away icy drops the moment they freeze. Although these observations are relevant only to systems in a low-pressure environment, they show how surface texturing can produce droplet-surface interactions that prohibit liquid and freezing water-droplet retention on surfaces.

  12. Optical levitation of microdroplet containing a single quantum dot

    OpenAIRE

    Minowa, Yosuke; Kawai, Ryoichi; Ashida, Masaaki

    2014-01-01

    We demonstrate the optical levitation or trapping in helium gas of a single quantum dot (QD) within a liquid droplet. Bright single photon emission from the levitated QD in the droplet was observed for more than 200 s. The observed photon count rates are consistent with the value theoretically estimated from the two-photon-action cross section. This paper presents the realization of an optically levitated solid-state quantum emitter. This paper was published in Optics Letters and is made avai...

  13. Stochastic growth of cloud droplets by collisions during settling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Madival, Deepak G.

    2018-04-01

    In the last stage of droplet growth in clouds which leads to drizzle formation, larger droplets begin to settle under gravity and collide and coalesce with smaller droplets in their path. In this article, we shall deal with the simplified problem of a large drop settling amidst a population of identical smaller droplets. We present an expression for the probability that a given large drop suffers a given number of collisions, for a general statistically homogeneous distribution of droplets. We hope that our approach will serve as a valuable tool in dealing with droplet distribution in real clouds, which has been found to deviate from the idealized Poisson distribution due to mechanisms such as inertial clustering.

  14. Janus droplets: liquid marbles coated with dielectric/semiconductor particles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bormashenko, Edward; Bormashenko, Yelena; Pogreb, Roman; Gendelman, Oleg

    2011-01-04

    The manufacturing of water droplets wrapped with two different powders, carbon black (semiconductor) and polytetrafluoroethylene (dielectric), is presented. Droplets composed of two hemispheres (Janus droplets) characterized by various physical and chemical properties are reported first. Watermelon-like striped liquid marbles are reported. Janus droplets remained stable on solid and liquid supports and could be activated with an electric field.

  15. Control of the droplet generation by an infrared laser

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhibin Wang

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available In this work, the control of the droplet generation by a focused infrared (IR laser with a wavelength of 1550 nm was studied, in which the liquid water and the oil with the surfactant of Span 80 were employed as the disperse and continuous phases, respectively. The characteristics of the droplet generation controlled by the laser was explored under various flow rates, laser powers and spot positions and the comparison between the cases with/without the laser was also performed. The results showed that when the laser was focused on the region away from the outlet of the liquid water inflow channel, the droplet shedding was blocked due to the IR laser heating induced thermocapillary flow, leading to the increase of the droplet volume and the cycle time of the droplet generation as compared to the case without the laser. Decreasing the continuous phase flow rate led to the increase of the droplet volume, cycle time of the droplet generation and the volume increase ratio, while increasing the disperse phase flow rate led to the increase of the droplet volume and the decrease of the cycle time and volume increase ratio. For a given flow rate ratio between the continuous and disperse phases, the increase of the flow rates decreased the volume increase ratio. In addition, it is also found that the droplet volume, the cycle time and the volume increase ratio all increased with the laser power. When the laser was focused at the inlet of the downstream channel, the droplet volume, the cycle time and the volume increase ratio were the largest. Moving the laser spot to the downstream or upstream led to the decrease of them. When the laser was focused on the outlet of the liquid water inflow channel, the generated droplet volume and cycle time of the droplet generation were even lower than the case without the laser because of the lowered viscosity. This works provides a comprehensive understanding of the characteristics of the droplet generation controlled

  16. Wetting of doped carbon nanotubes by water droplets

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kotsalis, E. M.; Demosthenous, E.; Walther, Jens Honore

    2005-01-01

    We study the wetting of doped single- and multi-walled carbon nanotubes by water droplets using molecular dynamics simulations. Chemisorbed hydrogen is considered as a model of surface impurities. We study systems with varying densities of surface impurities and we observe increased wetting......, as compared to the pristine nanotube case, attributed to the surface dipole moment that changes the orientation of the interfacial water. We demonstrate that the nature of the impurity is important as here hydrogen induces the formation of an extended hydrogen bond network between the water molecules...

  17. Droplet-based chemistry on a programmable micro-chip

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schwartz, Jon A.; Vykoukal, Jody V.; Gascoyne, Peter R. C.

    2009-01-01

    We describe the manipulation of aqueous droplets in an immiscible, low-permittivity suspending medium. Such droplets may serve as carriers for not only air- and water-borne samples, contaminants, chemical reagents, viral and gene products, and cells, but also the reagents to process and characterise these samples. We present proofs-of-concept for droplet manipulation through dielectrophoresis by: (1) moving droplets on a two-dimensional array of electrodes, (2) achieving dielectrically-activated droplet injection, (3) fusing and reacting droplets, and (4) conducting a basic biological assay through a combination of these steps. A long-term goal of this research is to provide a platform fluidic processor technology that can form the core of versatile, automated, micro-scale devices to perform chemical and biological assays at or near the point of care, which will increase the availability of modern medicine to people who do not have ready access to modern medical institutions, and decrease the cost and delays associated with that lack of access. PMID:15007434

  18. Snap evaporation of droplets on smooth topographies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wells, Gary G; Ruiz-Gutiérrez, Élfego; Le Lirzin, Youen; Nourry, Anthony; Orme, Bethany V; Pradas, Marc; Ledesma-Aguilar, Rodrigo

    2018-04-11

    Droplet evaporation on solid surfaces is important in many applications including printing, micro-patterning and cooling. While seemingly simple, the configuration of evaporating droplets on solids is difficult to predict and control. This is because evaporation typically proceeds as a "stick-slip" sequence-a combination of pinning and de-pinning events dominated by static friction or "pinning", caused by microscopic surface roughness. Here we show how smooth, pinning-free, solid surfaces of non-planar topography promote a different process called snap evaporation. During snap evaporation a droplet follows a reproducible sequence of configurations, consisting of a quasi-static phase-change controlled by mass diffusion interrupted by out-of-equilibrium snaps. Snaps are triggered by bifurcations of the equilibrium droplet shape mediated by the underlying non-planar solid. Because the evolution of droplets during snap evaporation is controlled by a smooth topography, and not by surface roughness, our ideas can inspire programmable surfaces that manage liquids in heat- and mass-transfer applications.

  19. 40 CFR 62.15020 - Can my small municipal waste combustion unit be exempt from this subpart?

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ...) Municipal waste combustion units that combust only tires. Your unit is exempt from this subpart if three requirements are met: (1) Your municipal waste combustion unit combusts a single-item waste stream of tires and...) Plastics/rubber recycling units. Your unit is exempt from this subpart if four requirements are met: (1...

  20. 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.