Drop impact on superheated surfaces

At the impact of a liquid droplet on a smooth surface heated above the liquid's boiling point, the droplet either immediately boils when it contacts the surface ("contact boiling"), or without any surface contact forms a Leidenfrost vapor layer towards the hot surface and bounces back ("gentle film boiling"), or both forms the Leidenfrost layer and ejects tiny droplets upward ("spraying film boiling"). We experimentally determine conditions under which impact behaviors in each regime can be realized. We show that the dimensionless maximum spreading γ of impacting droplets on the heated surfaces in both gentle and spraying film boiling regimes shows a universal scaling with the Weber number We (γ~We(2/5)), which is much steeper than for the impact on nonheated (hydrophilic or hydrophobic) surfaces (γ~We(1/4)). We also interferometrically measure the vapor thickness under the droplet.     

Self-propelled Leidenfrost droplets

We report that liquids perform self-propelled motion when they are placed in contact with hot surfaces with asymmetric (ratchetlike) topology. The pumping effect is observed when the liquid is in the Leidenfrost regime (the film-boiling regime), for many liquids and over a wide temperature range. We propose that liquid motion is driven by a viscous force exerted by vapor flow between the solid and the liquid.     

Effects of Energetic Electrons on Collector and Source Potentials in a Finite Ion Temperature Plasma

Formation of the potential in a two-electron-temperature plasma region facing a floating collector was studied theoretically with a kinetic plasma-sheath model and by electrostatic particle simulation. The electrons were described by truncated full Maxwellian velocity distribution functions and the ions by an accelerated half-Maxwellian velocity distribution function. The collector potential and the plasma source sheath or presheath potential drop were evaluated as functions of the hot to cool electron temperature ratio and the hot electron density ratio using Vlasov and Poison equations. The results showed that the presheath potential drop varied continuously with electron composition ratio for lower values of the electron temperature ratio, while for higher values in a narrow composition ratio range, triple values of the potential were found. Of the two physically acceptable values, the lower was characterized by the cool electrons and the higher by the hot electrons. It is anticipated that a current-free double layer structure is formed in the plasma system between these two potential regions. The collector floating potential, as a function of electron composition ratio, is mainly dominated by the hot electrons, since already a small value of hot electron current is sufficient to compensate the ion saturation current. In order to complete the theoretical investigation we also study the hydrogen plasma system with the XPDP1 particule-in-cell simulation code composed at Berkeley. At certain plasma parameter values formation of a double layer structure was observed. The potential Values on the upper and lower side of the double layer, as well as that of the collector floating potential, corresponded very well to the calculated values. On the upper side the plasma was composed of ions, accelerated through the source sheath potential drop, and electrons consisting of cool full Maxwellian and hot truncated full Maxwellian populations. On the lower side only hot electrons and ions additionally accelerated through the double layer were found.     

The dynamics of a vapor bubble containing a hot particle in pressure wave

The dynamics and heat and mass exchange in the pressure wave of a vapor bubble containing a hot particle was investigated parametrically. The influence of the particle size and temperature, of the liquid temperature and static pressure, and the wave amplitude on the dynamics of such a two-phase bubble was studied. A procedure is proposed to estimate the least value of the thickness of a vapor layer around the particle. The work was supported financially by the President of Russian Federation (NSh-7055.2006.1).     

Boiling at the boundary of two immiscible liquids below the bulk boiling temperature of each component

The problem of vapor formation in the system of two immiscible liquids is considered at the temperatures that are lower than the bulk boiling temperature of each component and higher than the temperature at which the sum of the saturated vapor pressures of the components is equal to atmospheric pressure. In this situation, boiling occurs at the surface of direct contact between the two components. The kinetics of the vapor layer at the contact boundary is theoretically described, and a solution is obtained for the idealized case where the properties of the two liquids are close to each other. The relation between the solution for the vapor layer kinetics and the integral boiling characteristics of the system is considered, and the problem of cooling the system in the absence of a heat inflow is solved.     

Extinction characteristics of isolated n-alkane fuel droplets during low temperature cool flame burning in air

Large carbon number n-alkanes are a notable component in all real transportation fuels, and their chemical structure fosters substantial low temperature kinetic reactivity. Normal alkanes have been studied in various canonical configurations but rarely in systems with strong coupling between low temperature chemistry and transport for pure as well as for multi-component n-alkane mixtures. The Flame Extinguishment (FLEX) experiments onboard the International Space Station provided a unique platform for investigating low temperature multi-phase n-alkane and iso-alkane combustion. Among the many interesting phenomena experimentally observed, cool flame extinction can occur, accompanied by the concurrent formation of a surrounding cloud of condensed vapor. In this work we conduct numerical simulations of high and low temperature combustion of large, initially single-component n-heptane, n-decane and n-dodecane droplets. The role of initial droplet diameter, operating pressure, and n-alkyl carbon number on the extinction of hot and low temperature flames is investigated and compared against the available experimental data. While all three fuels exhibit similar hot flame behavior, cool flame activity increases with the carbon number, resulting in an increased cool flame temperature and decreased extinction diameter. Multi-cyclic “hot/cool flame transitions” are found in air as pressure is slightly increased above one atmosphere. The cyclic behaviors correspond to continuously varying hot and cool flame transitions across the high, low, and negative temperature coefficient (NTC) kinetic regimes. Further increase in pressure results in a second stage steady “Warm flame” transition. The extinction of hot and cool flame has a strong non-linear dependence on ambient pressure but as the hot flame extinction diameter increases with pressure the extinction diameter of the cool flame decreases. The computational results are compared with a recent asymptotic analysis of FLEX n-alkane cool flames.     

AN EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE OSCILLATION IN THE BOILING OF LIQUID HELIUM

Boiling phenomena in liquid helium II (He II) and liquid helium I (He I) were experimentally investigated. The temperature oscillations during boiling in He II are the result of the propagation of the thermal boundary layer and/or the expansion of a vapor bubble to the location of the superconductor temperature sensor. The pressure oscillations are caused by the direct contact of liquid He II with the higher-temperature heater surface. The pressure oscillations are very periodic, and there is a strong correlation between the temperature and the pressure oscillations. In the boiling of He I, bubbles detach from the heater surface and are detected by the superconductor temperature sensor. He I boiling is different from the boiling of He II in that there is no correlation between the temperature and the pressure oscillations.     

Numerical Simulation of Vapor Bubble Growth and Heat Transfer in a Thin Liquid Film

A mathematical model is developed to investigate the dynamics of vapor bubble growth in a thin fiquid film, movement of the interface between two fluids and the surface heat transfer characteristics. The model takes into account the effects of phase change between the vapor and liquid, gravity, surface tension and viscosity. The details of the multiphase flow and heat transfer are discussed for two cases： （1） when a water micro-droplet impacts a thin liquid film with a vapor bubble growing and （2） when the vapor bubble grows and merges with the vapor layer above the liquid film without the droplet impacting. The development trend of the interface between the vapor and liquid is coincident qualitatively with the available literature, mostly at the first stage. We also provide an important method to better understand the mechanism of nucleate spray cooling.     

The influence of heat transfer conditions at the hot particle-liquid fuel interface on the ignition characteristics

The problem of ignition in the conditions of nonideal contact between liquid fuel and a single metallic particle heated to high temperatures is numerically solved. A gas-phase ignition model is created with regard to the heat-and-mass transfer processes in the gas region near the ignition source and the layer separating the particle and the fuel. The scale of the impact of the heat source surface roughness upon the ignition characteristics in a hot particle-liquid fuel-oxidant system is determined.     

A Possible Mechanism for the Formation of Unwettable Dry Spots on the Heated Surface under Nucleate Boiling: Part I. Basic Models and Characteristics of Heterogeneous Nucleate Pool Boiling at a Low Pressure

The problems associated with the physics of heterogeneous pool boiling at a low pressure on a flat horizontal surface are considered. The examples of parametric mismatch between the trends are connected with the thermophysical properties and wall surface microgeometry, with the size of the working area, with the affected zone of a growing bubble, and with the contact angle at the interface between the liquid, solid, and vapor phases. A conclusion is drawn concerning the possible causes of ambiguity in the results of the simulation of nucleate pool boiling modes under calculation of the individual contribution of each of the heat transfer mechanisms (convection, liquid microlayer evaporation, and rearrangement of the thermal boundary layer after bubble detachment). It is emphasized that the problem should be solved in the 3D conjugate formulation.     

蒸汽喷入过冷液面接触冷凝实验研究

对饱和蒸汽垂直喷入过冷液面直接接触冷凝进行了可视化实验,观察到近液面层汽液两相作用区的凝结现象,研究了系统压力响应特性,提出将蒸汽凝结过程分为"压力平衡"和"压力稳定"两个阶段,根据实验结果回归了不同凝结模式下平均凝结换热系数的实验关联式.通过对温度场的分析、得到了热水层的分布规律.     

Oscillatory cool flame combustion behavior of submillimeter sized n-alkane droplet under near limit conditions

This paper reports simulation results of oscillatory cool flame burning of an isolated, submillimeter sized n-heptane (n-C₇H₁₆) droplet in a selectively ozone (O₃) seeded nitrogen-oxygen (N₂-O₂) environments at atmospheric pressure. An evolutionary one-dimensional droplet combustion code encompassing relevant physics and detailed chemistry was employed to explore the roles of low-temperature chemistry, O₃ seeding, and dynamic flame structure on burning behaviors. For X_O2= 21% and a range of selective ozone seeding, near-quasi-steady cool flame burning is achieved directly (without requiring hot flame initiation and radiative extinction). Under low oxygen index conditions, but with significant O₃ seeding (X_O3 = 5%), a nearly quasi-steady cool flame is initially established that then transitions to a dynamically oscillating cool flame burning mode which continues until the droplet is completely consumed. It is found that the oscillation occurs as result of a initial depletion of fuel vapor-oxidizer layer evolving near the droplet surface and its dynamic re-establishment through liquid vaporization and vapor/oxidizer transport. A kinetic analysis indicates that the dynamic competition between the reaction classes- (a) degenerate chain branching and (b) chain termination/propagation - along with continuous fuel and oxygen leakage through the flame location contributes to an oscillatory burning phenomena of ever-increasing amplitude. Analysis based on single full-cycle of oscillatory burning shows that the reaction progression matrices (evolution of heat and species) for QOOH➔chain propagation/termination reactions (here, Q = C₇H₁₄-) directly scales with the gas phase temperature field. On the contrary, the QOOH➔degenerate branching reactions undergoes three distinct stages within the same oscillatory cycle. The coupled flame dynamics and kinetics suggest that in the oscillatory burning mode, kinetic processes dynamically cross through conditions characterizing the negative temperature coefficient (NTC) turnover temperature, separating low temperature and NTC kinetic regimes. In addition, a parametric study is conducted to determine the role of O₃ seeding level on the observed oscillation phenomena.     

Transient interactions between a premixed double flame and a vortex

The interaction between a laminar flame and a vortex is an important study for understanding the fundamentals of turbulent combustion. In the past, however, flame-vortex interactions have been investigated only for high-temperature flames. In this study, the impact of a vortex on a premixed double flame, which consists of a coupled cool flame and a hot flame, is examined experimentally and computationally using dimethyl ether/oxygen/ozone mixtures. The double flame is first shown to occur near the extinction limit of the hot flame. The differences between steady-state cool flames, double flames, and hot flames are explored in a one-dimensional counterflow configuration. The transient interactions between double flames and impinging vortices are then investigated experimentally using a micro-jet and numerically in two-dimensional transient modeling. It is seen that the vortex can extinguish the near-limit hot flame locally, resulting in a lone cool flame. At higher vortex intensities, the cool flame may also be extinguished after the extinction of the hot flame. It is found that there can be three different transient flame structures coexisting at the same time: an extinguished flame hole, a cool flame, and a double flame. Moreover, flame curvature is shown to play an important role in determining whether the vortex weakens or strengthens the cool flame and double flame.     

Fluid Model of a Sheath Formed in Front of an Electron Emitting Electrode Immersed in a Plasma with Two Electron Temperatures

The formation of a sheath in front of a negatively biased electrode (collector) that emits electrons is studied by a one‐dimensional fluid model. Electron and ion emission coefficients are introduced in the model. It is assumed that the electrode is immersed in a plasma that contains energetic electrons. The electron velocity distribution function is assumed to be a sum of two Maxwellian distributions with two different temperatures, while the ions and the emitted electrons are assumed to be monoenergetic. The condition for zero electric field at the collector is derived. Using this equation the dependence of electron and ion critical emission coefficients on various parameters ‐ like the ratio between the hot and cool electron density, the ratio between hot and cool electron temperature and the initial velocity of secondary electrons ‐ is calculated for a floating collector. A modification of the Bohm criterion due to the presence of hot and emitted electrons is also given. The transition between space charge limited and temperature limited electron emission for a current‐carrying collector is also analyzed. The critical potential, where this transition occurs, is calculated as a function of several parameters like the Richardson emission current, the ratio between the hot and cool electron density, the ratio between hot and cool electron temperature and the initial velocity of secondary electrons. (© 2005 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Dynamics and burning limits of near-limit hot,warm, and cool diffusion flames of dimethyl ether at elevated pressures

The near-limit diffusion flame regimes and extinction limits of dimethyl ether at elevated pressures and temperatures are examined numerically in the counterflow geometry with and without radiation at different oxygen concentrations. It is found that there are three different flame regimes—hot flame, warm flame, and cool flame—which exist, respectively, at high, intermediate, and low temperatures. Furthermore, they are governed by three distinct chain-branching reaction pathways. The results demonstrate that the warm flame has a double reaction zone structure and plays a critical role in the transition between cool and hot flames. It is also shown that the cool flame can be formed in several different ways: by either radiative extinction or stretch extinction of a hot flame or by stretch extinction of a warm flame. A warm flame can also be formed by radiative extinction of a hot flame or ignition of a cool flame. A general €-shaped flammability diagram showing the burning limits of all three flame regimes at different oxygen mole fractions is obtained. The results show that thermal radiation, reactant concentration, temperature, and pressure all have significant impacts on the flammable regions of the three flame regimes. Increases in oxidizer temperature, oxygen concentration, and pressure shift the cool flame regime to higher stretch rates and cause the warm flame to have two extinction limits. At elevated temperatures, it is found that there is a direct transition between the hot flame and warm flame at low stretch rates. The results also show that, unlike the hot flame, the cool flame structure cannot be scaled by using pressure-weighted stretch rates due to the its significant reactant leakage and strong dependence of reactivity on pressure. The present results advance the understanding of near-limit flame dynamics and provide guidance for experimental observation of different flame regimes.     

2D computations of FREI with cool flames for n-heptane/air mixture

Two-dimensional axisymmetric numerical simulation reproduced flames with repetitive extinction and ignition (FREI) in a micro flow reactor with a controlled temperature profile with a stoichiometric n-heptane/air mixture, which have been observed in the experiment. The ignition of hot flame occurred from consumption reactions of CO that was remained in the previous cycle of FREI. Between extinction and ignition locations of hot flames, several other heat release rate peaks related to cool and blue flames were observed for the first time. After the extinction of the hot flame, cool flame by the low-temperature oxidation of n-heptane appeared first and was stabilized in a low wall temperature region. In the downstream of the stable cool flame, a blue flame by the consumption reactions of cool flame products of CH₂O and H₂O₂ appeared. After that, the hot flame ignition occurred from the remaining CO in the downstream of the blue flame. Then after the next hot flame ignition, the blue flame was swept away by the propagating hot flame. Soon before the hot flame merged with the stable cool flame, the hot flame propagation was intensified by the cool flame. After the hot flame merged with the stable cool flame, the hot flame reacted with the incoming fresh mixture of n-C₇H₁₆ and O₂.     

An experimental study on the intense heat transfer and phase change during melt and water interactions

Accidental contact between hot melt and cold water poses fatal hazard in several industries. Vapor explosion during melt-water contact in nuclear power plant accident can result in catastrophic containment failure. The fast transient phenomena as vapor explosion is not comprehensively understood despite several advances in research. It is not clear why certain parameters of melt and water exhibit differences in fragmentation behavior. To examine the influential parameters, we perform a series of experiments. The interactions between melt and water is visualized by high-speed video and X-ray radiograph.     

蒸气凝结相关问题探讨

讨论了几个与蒸气凝结相关的问题,指出壁面上球冠形液滴的内外压差和临界半径同样遵循经典的Laplace公式和Kalvin公式;蒸气在冷壁上的冷凝形态主要由后退接触角决定;空气中的水蒸气在换热器表面呈膜状冷凝时换热器的性能优于呈滴状冷凝时换热器的性能。     

Effectiveness of flame suppressants on cool flames and hot flames

While the effectiveness of various flame suppressants such as bromotrifluoromethane and trimethylphosphate on hot flames has been relatively well studied over the years, such suppressants have not been examined in the context of low-temperature cool flames. This investigation solves this issue by exploring the extinction limits of six suppressants on both hot flames and cool flames in the counterflow geometry using n-dodecane as the fuel. In contrast to hot flames, it is found both experimentally and numerically that cool flames are relatively impervious to chemically based suppressants such as bromotrifluoromethane; these suppressants are essentially diluents at low temperatures. Detailed examination of the computed flame structure reveals that the reactions composing the catalytic cycles that interfere with hydrogen radical and hydroxyl radical production in hot flames are orders of magnitude lower in cool flames. Furthermore, mildly flammable suppressants such as trimethylphosphate and 2‑bromo-3,3,3-trifluoropropene are observed to ignite under the conditions necessary to initiate cool flames, which limits measurements of the cool flame extinction limits. This premature oxidation is not predicted by kinetic models describing the suppressant chemistry.