Investigation of the influence of humidity on the ultrasonic agglomeration of submicron particles in diesel exhausts

Removing very fine particles in the 0.01-1 micro m range generated in diesel combustion is important for air pollution abatement because of the impact such particles have on the environment. By forming larger particles, acoustic agglomeration of submicron particles is presented as a promising process for enhancing the efficiency of the current filtration systems for particle removal. Nevertheless, some authors have pointed out that acoustic agglomeration is much more efficient for larger particles than for smaller particles. This paper studies the effect of humidity on the acoustic agglomeration of diesel exhausts particles in the nanometer size range at 21 kHz. For the agglomeration tests, the experimental facility basically consists of a pilot scale plant with a diesel engine, an ultrasonic agglomeration chamber a dilution system, a nozzle atomizer, and an aerosol sampling and measuring station. The effect of the ultrasonic treatment, generated by a linear array of four high-power stepped-plate transducers on fumes at flow rates of 900 Nm(3)/h, was a small reduction in the number concentration of particles at the outlet of the chamber. However, the presence of humidity raised the agglomeration rate by decreasing the number particle concentration by up to 56%. A numerical study of the agglomeration process as a linear combination of the orthokinetic and hydrodynamic agglomeration coefficients resulting from mutual radiation pressure also found that acoustic agglomeration was enhanced by humidity. Both results confirm the benefit of using high-power ultrasound together with humidity to enhance the agglomeration of particles much smaller than 1 micro m.     

Single half-wavelength ultrasonic particle filter: predictions of the transfer matrix multilayer resonator model and experimental filtration results

The quantitative performance of a "single half-wavelength" acoustic resonator operated at frequencies around 3 MHz as a continuous flow microparticle filter has been investigated. Standing wave acoustic radiation pressure on suspended particles (5-microm latex) drives them towards the center of the half-wavelength separation channel. Clarified suspending phase from the region closest to the filter wall is drawn away through a downstream outlet. The filtration efficiency of the device was established from continuous turbidity measurements at the filter outlet. The frequency dependence of the acoustic energy density in the aqueous particle suspension layer of the filter system was obtained by application of the transfer matrix model [H. Nowotny and E. Benes, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 82, 513-521 (1987)]. Both the measured clearances and the calculated energy density distributions showed a maximum at the fundamental of the piezoceramic transducer and a second, significantly larger, maximum at another system's resonance not coinciding with any of the transducer or empty chamber resonances. The calculated frequency of this principal energy density maximum was in excellent agreement with the optimal clearance frequency for the four tested channel widths. The high-resolution measurements of filter performance provide, for the first time, direct verification of the matrix model predictions of the frequency dependence of acoustic energy density in the water layer.     

驻波声场中单分散细颗粒的相互作用特性

利用外加声场促进悬浮在气相中的细颗粒发生相互作用,进而引起颗粒的碰撞和凝并,使得颗粒平均粒径增大、数目浓度降低,是控制细颗粒排放的重要技术途径.为探究驻波声场中单分散细颗粒的相互作用,建立包含曳力、重力、声尾流效应的颗粒相互作用模型,采用四阶经典龙格-库塔算法和二阶隐式亚当斯插值算法对模型进行求解.将数值模拟得到的颗粒声波夹带速度和相互作用过程与相应的解析解和实验结果进行对比,验证模型的准确性.进而研究颗粒初始条件和直径对相互作用特性的影响.结果表明,初始时刻颗粒中心连线越接近声波波动方向、颗粒位置越接近波腹点,颗粒间的声尾流效应就越强,颗粒发生碰撞所需要的时间就越短.研究还发现,颗粒直径对颗粒相互作用的影响取决于初始时刻颗粒中心连线偏离声波波动方向的程度.当偏离较小时,颗粒直径越大,颗粒发生碰撞所需要的时间越短;当偏离很大时,直径较小的颗粒能够发生碰撞,而直径较大的颗粒则无法发生碰撞.     

Acoustic radiation force of a Bessel beam on a porous sphere

The possibility of using acoustic Bessel beams to produce an axial pulling force on porous particles is examined in an exact manner. The mathematical model utilizes the appropriate partial-wave expansion method in spherical coordinates, while Biot's model is used to describe the wave motion within the poroelastic medium. Of particular interest here is to examine the feasibility of using Bessel beams for (a) acoustic manipulation of fine porous particles and (b) suppression of particle resonances. To verify the viability of the technique, the radiation force and scattering form-function are calculated for aluminum and silica foams at various porosities. Inspection of the results has shown that acoustic manipulation of low porosity (<0.3) spheres is similar to that of solid elastic spheres, but this behavior significantly changes at higher porosities. Results have also shown a strong correlation between the backscattered form-function and the regions of negative radiation force. It has also been observed that the high-order resonances of the particle can be effectively suppressed by choosing the beam conical angle such that the acoustic contribution from that particular mode vanishes. This investigation may be helpful in the development of acoustic tweezers for manipulation of micro-porous drug delivery carrier and contrast agents.     

The use of ultrasonic standing waves to enhance optical particle sizing equipment

Fluid dynamics modelling augmented with routines to simulate acoustic forces on aerosol particles has been used to investigate the potential of combining ultrasonic standing wave fields with optical particle analysis equipment. Simulations of particle dynamics in airstreams incorporating acoustic forces predict that particles in the 1-10 microns diameter range may be effectively focused to the velocity nodes of the standing wave field. Particles move to the velocity nodes within tens of milliseconds for acoustic frequencies of 10-100 kHz and at an acoustic energy density of 100 Jm-3. Larger particles are predicted to move to the velocity antinodes within similar times; however, there is a crossover region at approximately 15-20 microns particle diameter where longer times are predicted due to the competing forces driving particles to the vibration node and antinode. With sufficient transverse flow velocities the models predict that disturbances due to acoustic streaming can be overcome and a useful degree of focusing achieved for the aerosol particles. Results from a model demonstrating sampling and acoustic focusing of 3-9 microns aerosol particles to a 200 microns wide analysis area are presented.     

A new empirical model for the acoustic properties of loose granular media

This paper examines physical parameters of loose granular mixes and their empirical relations to the acoustic performance of these mixes. In this work a new classification of granular media has been proposed which is related to the characteristic particle dimension and the specific density of the grain base. It has been shown that this classification is a useful characteristic for rapid evaluation of the acoustic performance of loose granular mixes. The characteristic impedance and propagation constant have been measured for a representative selection of grain mixes and used to develop a new empirical model. This model relates the above acoustic characteristics to the characteristic particle dimension, porosity, tortuosity and specific density of the grain base, which are routinely measurable parameters. A very good agreement with the experimental data is illustrated in the frequency range of 250-4000 Hz for materials with the grain base of 0.4-3.5 mm and specific densities between 200 and 1200 kg/m³. Unlike many theoretical models for the prediction of the acoustic properties of porous media, the proposed expressions do not involve any special functions of complex argument, empirical shape factors or sophisticated characteristics of porous structure. These are practical enough to be of interest to acoustic and noise control engineers and material manufacturers.     

Modelling of particle paths passing through an ultrasonic standing wave

Within an ultrasonic standing wave particles experience acoustic radiation forces causing agglomeration at the nodal planes of the wave. The technique can be used to agglomerate, suspend, or manipulate particles within a flow. To control agglomeration rate it is important to balance forces on the particles and, in the case where a fluid/particle mix flows across the applied acoustic field, it is also necessary to optimise fluid flow rate. To investigate the acoustic and fluid forces in such a system a particle model has been developed, extending an earlier model used to characterise the 1-dimensional field in a layered resonator. In order to simulate fluid drag forces, CFD software has been used to determine the velocity profile of the fluid/particle mix passing through the acoustic device. The profile is then incorporated into a MATLAB model. Based on particle force components, a numerical approach has been used to determine particle paths. Using particle coordinates, both particle concentration across the fluid channel and concentration through multiple outlets are calculated. Such an approach has been used to analyse the operation of a microfluidic flow-through separator, which uses a half wavelength standing wave across the main channel of the device. This causes particles to converge near the axial plane of the channel, delivering high and low particle concentrated flow through two outlets, respectively. By extending the model to analyse particle separation over a frequency range, it is possible to identify the resonant frequencies of the device and associated separation performance. This approach will also be used to improve the geometric design of the microengineered fluid channels, where the particle model can determine the limiting fluid flow rate for separation to occur, the value of which is then applied to a CFD model of the device geometry.     

Multiphysics modelling of the separation of suspended particles via frequency ramping of ultrasonic standing waves

A model was developed to determine the local changes of concentration of particles and the formations of bands induced by a standing acoustic wave field subjected to a sawtooth frequency ramping pattern. The mass transport equation was modified to incorporate the effect of acoustic forces on the concentration of particles. This was achieved by balancing the forces acting on particles. The frequency ramping was implemented as a parametric sweep for the time harmonic frequency response in time steps of 0.1 s. The physics phenomena of piezoelectricity, acoustic fields and diffusion of particles were coupled and solved in COMSOL Multiphysics? (COMSOL AB, Stockholm, Sweden) following a three step approach. The first step solves the governing partial differential equations describing the acoustic field by assuming that the pressure field achieves a pseudo steady state. In the second step, the acoustic radiation force is calculated from the pressure field. The final step allows calculating the locally changing concentration of particles as a function of time by solving the modified equation of particle transport. The diffusivity was calculated as function of concentration following the Garg and Ruthven [1] equation which describes the steep increase of diffusivity when the concentration approaches saturation. However, it was found that this steep increase creates numerical instabilities at high voltages (in the piezoelectricity equations) and high initial particle concentration. The model was simplified to a pseudo one-dimensional case due to computation power limitations. The predicted particle distribution calculated with the model is in good agreement with the experimental data as it follows accurately the movement of the bands in the centre of the chamber.     

Shape oscillations of microparticles on an optical microscope stage

A modulated acoustic radiation pressure technique to produce quadrupole shape oscillations of drops ranging in diameter from 50-220 micron has been used by us. These drops have been suspended by acoustic levitation in a small chamber mounted on a stage of an optical microscope, which allowed easy viewing. The fission of drops and the deformation of sea urchin eggs were also observed.     

Investigation of two-dimensional acoustic resonant modes in a particle separator

Within an acoustic standing wave particles experience acoustic radiation forces, a phenomenon which is exploited in particle or cell manipulation devices. When developing such devices, one-dimensional acoustic characteristics corresponding to the transducer(s) are typically of most importance and determine the primary radiation forces acting on the particles. However, radiation forces have also been observed to act in the lateral direction, perpendicular to the primary radiation force, forming striated patterns. These lateral forces are due to lateral variations in the acoustic field influenced by the geometry and materials used in the resonator. The ability to control them would present an advantage where their effect is either detrimental or beneficial to the particle manipulation process. The two-dimensional characteristics of an ultrasonic separator device have been modelled within a finite element analysis (FEA) package. The fluid chamber of the device, within which the standing wave is produced, has a width to height ratio of approximately 30:1 and it is across the height that a half-wavelength standing wave is produced to control particle movement. Two-dimensional modal analyses have calculated resonant frequencies which agree well with both the one-dimensional modelling of the device and experimentally measured frequencies. However, these two-dimensional analyses also reveal that these modes exhibit distinctive periodic variations in the acoustic pressure field across the width of the fluid chamber. Such variations lead to lateral radiation forces forming particle bands (striations) and are indicative of enclosure modes. The striation spacings predicted by the FEA simulations for several modes compare well with those measured experimentally for the ultrasonic particle separator device. It is also shown that device geometry and materials control enclosure modes and therefore the strength and characteristics of lateral radiation forces, suggesting the potential use of FEA in designing for the control of enclosure modes in similar particle manipulator devices.     

驻波声场中圆柱形管道周围颗粒的运动特性

针对圆柱形管道外部的流体与颗粒介质运动问题,提出了结合圆柱周围声辐射力和声流Stokes力的研究方法。从柱体外部声流方程出发,得到影响涡流结构的无量纲参数Rem≥325.27时,外涡最大流速大于内涡最大流速。在此基础上,采用Nyborg的边界滑移速度理论,获得管道外部声流的极限滑移速度,推导得出圆柱附近的声辐射力公式。基于此公式,在理论上推导出颗粒速度为0、声辐射力和声流Stokes力平衡时,颗粒临界直径的表达式。通过对圆柱位于不同位置时,圆柱外部的颗粒运动进行仿真模拟,得到与理论公式相一致的结论:颗粒的临界直径的大小与声波频率有关,当颗粒直径小于临界直径时,声流Stokes力为主导,颗粒随声流运动,颗粒直径大于等于临界直径时,声辐射力为主导,颗粒在声辐射力作用下逐渐向声辐射力的节点聚集。理论与仿真结果表明该方法可用于分析管道外颗粒的分布状态,其研究结果有助于解决电站中换热器的管道结垢、热交换率降低等问题。     

Measurement of filtration efficiency of Nuclepore filters challenged with polystyrene latex nanoparticles: experiments and modeling

Membrane filtration has been demonstrated to be effective for the removal of liquid-borne nanoparticles (NPs). Such technique can be applied to purify and disinfect drinking water as well as remove NPs in highly pure chemicals used in the industries. This study aims to study the filtration process of a model membrane filter, the Nuclepore filter. Experiments were carried out using standard filtration tools and the nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) technique was used to measure particle (50–500 nm) concentration upstream and downstream of the filter to determine the filtration efficiency. The NTA technique has been calibrated using 150-nm polystyrene latex particles to determine its accuracy of particle concentration measurement. Measurements were found reliable within a certain concentration limit (about 10⁸–10¹⁰ particles/cm³), which is dependent on the camera settings during the measurement. Experimental results are comparable with previously published data obtained using the aerosolization method, validating the capability of the NTA technique. The capillary tube model modified from that developed for aerosol filtration was found to be useful to represent the experimental results, when a sticking coefficient of 0.15 is incorporated. This suggests that only 15% of the particle collisions with the filter results in successful attachment. The small sticking coefficient found can be explained by the unfavorable surface interactions between the particles and the filter medium.     

高声压级时多孔金属板的吸声特性研究

针对高声压级下有限厚度多孔金属板在线性阻抗背衬条件下(背衬表面声压与声质点速度为线性关系)的吸声问题,提出了一个描述不同声压级下材料层法向吸声性能的一维模型,并给出求解材料层内部声质点速度的线化与差分方法,以预测多孔金属板在高声压级下的非线性吸声特性。在阻抗管中对两块多孔金属板进行了声学测试,得到了材料层法向表面阻抗和吸声系数随入射声压级变化的实验结果。研究表明:实验与理论预测符合良好,验证了模型与数值方法的正确性。本文所提原理和方法,可用于一般硬质多孔材料。      

Design and Performance Evaluation of Low‐Volume PM2.5 Inlet for Analyzing Chemical Composition

A new PM_2.5 inlet, based on the particle cup impactor configuration, was designed for sampling fine particles smaller than 2.5 μm in aerodynamic diameter and for operating at a flow rate of 5 l/min, as the devices, which are used to analyze the chemical composition of the particles, have good efficiency only at low‐volume flow rates. The performance of the inlet was evaluated in a test chamber, and the optimum dimensions of the particle cup impactor were determined by varying the nozzle‐to‐cup distance. Additional experiments covering flow rates between 3 and 10 l/min with particle sizes between 0.8 and 5.0 μm were carried out in the test chamber. The performance indicated that a nozzle‐to‐cup distance of 1.1 mm would yield a sharp size cutoff. The results from the tests showed that the inlet had a cutoff size of 2.55 μm in aerodynamic diameter at a flow rate of 5 l/min.     

Performance of a quarter-wavelength particle concentrator

A series of devices have been investigated which use acoustic radiation forces to concentrate micron sized particles. These multi-layered resonators use a quarter-wavelength resonance in order to position an acoustic pressure node close to the top surface of a fluid layer such that particles migrate towards this surface. As flow-through devices, it is then possible to collect a concentrate of particulates by drawing off the particle stream and separating it from the clarified fluid and so can operate continuously as opposed to batch processes such as centrifugation. The methods of construction are described which include a micro-fabricated, wet-etched device and a modular device fabricated using a micro-mill. These use silicon and macor, a machinable glass ceramic, as a carrier layer between the transducer and fluid channel, respectively. Simulations using an acoustic impedance transfer model are used to determine the influence of various design parameters on the acoustic energy density within the fluid layer and the nodal position. Concentration tests have shown up to 4.4-, 6.0- and 3.2-fold increases in concentration for 9, 3 and 1 microm diameter polystyrene particles, respectively. The effect of voltage and fluid flow rates on concentration performance is investigated and helps demonstrate the various factors which determine the increase in concentration possible.     

丝网印刷制备染料敏化太阳能电池

染料敏化太阳能电池（DSSC）是太阳能电池研究的热点领域之一,使用丝网印刷技术制备以纳米晶多孔TiO₂薄膜为光阳极的DSSC具有低成本、简单的制备工艺和高的光电转换效率（PCE）的特点,这类太阳能电池受到人们广泛关注。为了提高这类太阳能电池的光电转换效率,通过采用不同网目相同印刷胶体制备了太阳能电池的光阳极优化印刷工艺十分重要,采用不同网目的方法研究印刷工艺对太阳能电池光伏性能的影响是十分有效的。用溶胶-凝胶法制备了TiO₂胶体,通过扫描电镜看出TiO₂薄膜具有多孔结构,其高比表面积有利于薄膜对染料分子的吸附,也有利于提高电池对太阳光的吸收率。经过高温烧结后丝网印刷的TiO₂薄膜展现了明显的锐钛矿结构较窄衍射峰,意味着TiO₂颗粒已经完全晶化且粒径增加。制备目数从100增到300导致网孔直径减少而薄膜变得更加致密,使得TiO₂薄膜的XRD衍射峰逐渐增强,而从300目增到400目时由于网孔过小导致TiO₂胶体通过网孔数量变小使得衍射峰强度下降。用不同网目印刷了单层TiO₂光阳极研究DSSCs光伏性能的变化情况,发现制备目数是200目和300目印刷太阳能电池的性能较好,而400网目印刷太阳能电池的性能最差,这与XRD观察的结果一致。再分别采用网目为100目、200目、300目和400目的印网将胶体印刷成了多层TiO₂薄膜,以此为基础组装DSSC。实验结果表明：通过不同组合网目的丝网印刷制备TiO₂薄膜,组装后的染料敏化太阳能电池的光电转换效率得到了显著提升,其中以300目+200目+100目三层叠印时得到的优化光阳极的最高电池效率达到6.9%。以丝网印刷的方法制备电极不需要进行任何化学处理,在较高网目制备底层的情况下印刷的薄膜均匀牢固,且电池制备的步骤简单、重复性好,能量转换效率较高。     

A stochastic theory for deep bed filtration accounting for dispersion and size distributions

We develop a stochastic theory for filtration of suspensions in porous media. The theory takes into account particle and pore size distributions, as well as the random character of the particle motion, which is described in the framework of the theory of continuous-time random walks (CTRW). In the limit of the infinitely many small walk steps we derive a system of governing equations for the evolution of the particle and pore size distributions. We consider the case of concentrated suspensions, where plugging the pores by particles may change porosity and other parameters of the porous medium. A procedure for averaging of the derived system of equations is developed for polydisperse suspensions with several distinctive particle sizes. A numerical method for solution of the flow equations is proposed. Sample calculations are applied to compare the roles of the particle size distribution and of the particle flight dispersion on the deposition profiles. It is demonstrated that the temporal flight dispersion is the most likely mechanism forming the experimentally observed hyperexponential character of the deposition profiles.     

The acoustical properties of consolidated expanded clay granulates

The paper presents a systematic study of acoustic and non-acoustic properties of consolidated porous samples of expanded clay granulates. The effect of the particle size on the acoustic performance of consolidated expanded clays is investigated experimentally and theoretically. This work involves a comparison of the measured and predicted values of the absorption coefficient and normalised acoustic surface impedance data. It is demonstrated that the values of tortuosity and standard deviation in the pore size distribution do not depend significantly on the size of the material aggregate. An empirical expression which links the flow resistivity of the consolidated granular mix has been derived from the measured data. These results pave the way for the development of a simple practical model which will be able to link the acoustic properties of a consolidated granular mix with the characteristic particle dimension and the porosity data. These materials are structurally robust and easy to integrate in buildings and highway structures to control the levels of environmental noise and improve the acoustic quality of spaces.     

液氦净化系统的过滤及反吹特性研究

作为一种优良的超导与冷却介质,超高纯液氦在工业以及航空航天等领域中的应用相当广泛。金属丝网过滤器具有理想均匀的孔径分布和优异的流体渗透性能,可适用于高洁净度、高安全性的低温液体净化系统。通过搭建液氦过滤与净化系统实验台,研究了过滤精度为0.5μm的不锈钢丝网过滤器对液氦中固体氮颗粒的过滤特性,探讨了压降及过滤效率的变化规律,以及反吹过程中的升温趋势。结果表明,该过滤器能有效实现液氦的净化。