EHD flow measured by 3D PIV in a narrow electrostatic precipitator with longitudinal-to-flow wire electrode and smooth or flocking grounded plane electrode

In this work, results of three-dimensional (3D) Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) measurements of the electrohydrodynamic (EHD) flow velocity fields in a narrow electrostatic precipitator (ESP) with a longitudinal-to-flow placed wire electrode are presented. The ESP was a narrow transparent acrylic box (90 mm×30 mm×30 mm). The electrode set consisted of a single wire discharge electrode and two plane collecting electrodes. Either two smooth stainless-steel plates or two stainless-steel plane meshes with nylon flocks were used as the collecting electrodes. The 3D PIV measurements were carried out in two parallel planes, placed longitudinally to the flow duct. The positive DC voltage of up to 9.5 kV was applied to the wire electrode through a 10 MΩ resistor. The collecting electrodes were grounded. The measurements were carried out at a primary flow velocity of 0.5 m/s. Obtained results show that the flow patterns for the smooth-plate electrodes and for the flocking plane electrodes are similar in the bulk of the flow. However, the flow velocities near the flocking plane electrodes are much lower than those near the smooth-plate electrodes. This is a beneficial phenomenon, because the lower the flow near the collecting electrodes, the lower re-entrainment of the particles deposited on the collecting electrodes occurs.     

An experimental study on the motion of water droplets in oil under ultrasonic irradiation

The motion of a single water droplet in oil under ultrasonic irradiation is investigated with high-speed photography in this paper. First, we described the trajectory of water droplet in oil under ultrasonic irradiation. Results indicate that in acoustic field the motion of water droplet subjected to intermittent positive and negative ultrasonic pressure shows obvious quasi-sinusoidal oscillation. Afterwards, the influence of major parameters on the motion characteristics of water droplet was studied, such as acoustic intensity, ultrasonic frequency, continuous phase viscosity, interfacial tension, and droplet diameter, etc. It is found that when the acoustic intensity and frequency are 4.89 W cm⁻² and 20 kHz respectively, which are the critical conditions, the droplet varying from 250 to 300 μm in lower viscous oil has the largest oscillation amplitude and highest oscillation frequency.     

Intensification of ultrasonic-assisted crude oil demulsification based on acoustic field distribution data

Water removal is an essential step during crude oil production due to several problems such as increased transportation costs and high corrosion rate due to dissolved salts. Indirect low frequency ultrasonic energy (US), using baths, has been recently proposed as an effective alternative for crude oil demulsification. However, the reactor position during sonication and its influence on the demulsification efficiency for crude oil has not been evaluated. In this sense, the aim of this study was to develop an automated system based on an open source hardware for mapping the acoustic field distribution in an US bath operating at 35 kHz using a hydrophone. Data acquired with this system provided information to evaluate the demulsification efficiency in the different positions of the US bath and correlate it with the acoustic intensity distribution. The automated 3D-mapping system revealed a higher acoustic intensity in the regions immediately above the transducers (ca. 0.6 W cm⁻²), while the other regions presented a relatively lower intensity (ca. 0.1 W cm⁻²). Experimental data demonstrated that reactors positioned in the most intense acoustic regions provided a much higher efficiency of demulsification in comparison with the ones positioned in the less intense acoustic field regions. Demulsification efficiency up to 93% was obtained with 15 min of sonication (100% amplitude) using few amount of chemical demulsifier. Hence, this work demonstrated that the information acquired with the developed mapping system could be used for inducing a higher efficiency of demulsification only by finding the more suitable position of reactor in the US bath, which certainly will help development of appropriate reactors design when looking for such approach.     

Physicochemical characterization of black seed oil-milk emulsions through ultrasonication

The ultrasonic formation of stable emulsions of a bioactive material, black seed oil, in skim milk was investigated. The incorporation of 7% of black seed oil in pasteurised homogenized skim milk (PHSM) using 20 kHz high intensity ultrasound was successfully achieved. The effect of sonication time and acoustic power on the emulsion stability was studied. A minimum process time of 8 min at an applied acoustic power of 100 W was sufficient to produce emulsion droplets stable for at least 8 days upon storage at 4 ± 2 °C, which was confirmed through creaming stability, particle size, rheology and color analysis. Partially denatured whey proteins may provide stability to the emulsion droplets and in addition to the cavitation effects of ultrasound are responsible for the production of smaller sized emulsion droplets.     

Nonlinear parameter estimation in water-saturated sandy sediment with difference frequency acoustic wave

Difference frequency acoustic wave from nonlinear interaction of two primary acoustic waves at frequencies of 76 and 114 kHz was utilized with a parametric acoustic array theory to estimate the nonlinearity parameter of water-saturated sandy sediment. Such nonlinearity parameter can be used as background information for the nonlinear acoustic investigation of bottom or sub-bottom profiling in the ocean sandy sediments. Because of its lower attenuation the difference frequency acoustic wave method can be usefully applied to estimate the nonlinearity parameter of ocean sediment in the ocean as well as under laboratory conditions. The nonlinearity parameter β for the water-saturated sandy sediment used as a reference in this study was estimated as β = 80.5 ± 5.1 at the difference frequency of 38 kHz. It was agreed very well with that estimated at the difference frequency of 67 kHz, when two primary frequencies were 137 and 204 kHz. The estimated nonlinearity parameter of water-saturated sandy sediment in this study was also compared and analyzed with those estimated in previously published literatures. It was suggested that the difference frequency wave method used to estimate the nonlinearity parameter of water-saturated sandy sediment can be employed as a good method to estimate the nonlinearity parameters of fluid-like granular media.     

Influence of intensity and frequency of ultrasonic waves on capillary interaction and oil recovery from different rock types

Oil saturated cylindrical sandstone cores were placed into imbibition cells where they contacted with an aqueous phase and oil recovery performances were tested with and without ultrasonic radiation keeping all other conditions and parameters constant. Experiments were conducted for different initial water saturation, oil viscosity and wettability. The specifications of acoustic sources such as ultrasonic intensity (45–84 W/sq cm) and frequency (22 and 40 kHz) were also changed. An increase in recovery was observed with ultrasonic energy in all cases. This change was more remarkable for the oil-wet medium. The additional recovery with ultrasonic energy became lower as the oil viscosity increased. We also designed a setup to measure the ultrasonic energy penetration capacity in different media, namely air, water, and slurry (sand + water mixture). A one-meter long water or slurry filled medium was prepared and the ultrasonic intensity and frequency were monitored as a function of distance from the source. The imbibition cells were placed at certain distances from the sources and the oil recovery was recorded. Then, the imbibition recovery was related to the ultrasonic intensity, frequency, and distance from the ultrasonic source.     

Dependence of cavitation,chemical effect,and mechanical effect thresholds on ultrasonic frequency

Cavitation, chemical effect, and mechanical effect thresholds were investigated in wide frequency ranges from 22 to 4880 kHz. Each threshold was measured in terms of sound pressure at fundamental frequency. Broadband noise emitted from acoustic cavitation bubbles was detected by a hydrophone to determine the cavitation threshold. Potassium iodide oxidation caused by acoustic cavitation was used to quantify the chemical effect threshold. The ultrasonic erosion of aluminum foil was conducted to estimate the mechanical effect threshold. The cavitation, chemical effect, and mechanical effect thresholds increased with increasing frequency. The chemical effect threshold was close to the cavitation threshold for all frequencies. At low frequency below 98 kHz, the mechanical effect threshold was nearly equal to the cavitation threshold. However, the mechanical effect threshold was greatly higher than the cavitation threshold at high frequency. In addition, the thresholds of the second harmonic and the first ultraharmonic signals were measured to detect bubble occurrence. The threshold of the second harmonic approximated to the cavitation threshold below 1000 kHz. On the other hand, the threshold of the first ultraharmonic was higher than the cavitation threshold below 98 kHz and near to the cavitation threshold at high frequency.     

Sonoluminescence characterization of inertial cavitation inside a BSA phantom treated by pulsed HIFU

The aim of this study was to investigate the inertial cavitation inside a phantom treated by pulsed HIFU (pHIFU). Basic bovine serum albumin (BSA) phantoms without any inherent ultrasound contrast agents (UCAs) or phase-shift nano-emulsions (PSNEs) were used. During the treatment, sonoluminescence (SL) recordings were performed to characterize the spatial distribution of inertial cavitation adjacent to the focal region. High-speed photographs and thermal coagulations, comparing with the SL results, were also recorded and presented. A series of pulse parameters (pulse duration (PD) was between 1 and 23 cycles and pulse repetition frequency (PRF) was between 0.5 kHz and 100 kHz) were performed to make a systematic investigation under certain acoustic power (APW). Continuous HIFU (cHIFU) investigation was also performed to serve as control group. It was found that, when APW was 19.5 W, pHIFU with short PD was much easier to form SL adjacent to the focal region inside the phantom, while it was difficult for cHIFU to generate cavitation bubbles. With appropriate PD and PRF, the residual bubbles of the previous pulses could be stimulated by the incident pulses to oscillate in a higher level and even violently collapse, resulting to enhanced physical thermogenesis. The experimental results showed that the most violent inertial cavitation occurs when PD was set to 6 cycles (5 μs) and PRF to 10 kHz, while the highest level of thermal coagulation was observed when PD was set to 10 cycles. The cavitational and thermal characteristics were in good correspondence, exhibiting significant potentiality regarding to inject-free cavitation bubble enhanced thermal ablation under lower APW, compared to the conventional thermotherapy.     

Comparison of hydroxyl radical formation in aqueous solutions at different ultrasound frequencies and powers using the salicylic acid dosimeter

Ultrasonic frequencies of 20 kHz, 382 kHz, 584 kHz, 862 kHz (and 998 kHz) have been compared with regard to energy output and hydroxyl radical formation utilising the salicylic acid dosimeter. The 862 kHz frequency inputs 6 times the number of Watts into water, as measured by calorimetry, with the other frequencies having roughly the same value under very similar conditions. A plausible explanation involving acoustic fountain formation is proposed although enhanced coupling between this frequency and water cannot be discounted. Using the salicylic acid dosimeter and inputting virtually the same Wattages it is established that 862 kHz is around 10% more efficient at generating hydroxyl radicals than the 382 kHz but both of these are far more effective than the other frequencies. Also, it is found that as temperature increases to 42 °C then the total dihydroxybenzoic acid (Total DHBA) produced is virtually identical for 382 kHz and 862 kHz, though 582 kHz is substantially lower, when the power levels are set at approximately 9 W for all systems. An equivalent power level of 9 W could not be obtained for the 998 kHz transducer so a direct comparison could not be made in this instance. These results have implications for the optimum frequencies chosen for both Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs) and organic synthesis augmented by ultrasound.     

Effect of acoustic frequency and power density on the aqueous ultrasonic-assisted extraction of grape pomace (Vitis vinifera L.) – A response surface approach

Aqueous ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) of grape pomace was investigated by Response Surface Methodology (RSM) to evaluate the effect of acoustic frequency (40, 80, 120 kHz), ultrasonic power density (50, 100, 150 W/L) and extraction time (5, 15, 25 min) on total phenolics, total flavonols and antioxidant capacity. All the process variables showed a significant effect on the aqueous UAE of grape pomace (p < 0.05). The Box–Behnken Design (BBD) generated satisfactory mathematical models which accurately explain the behavior of the system; allowing to predict both the extraction yield of phenolic and flavonol compounds, and also the antioxidant capacity of the grape pomace extracts. The optimal UAE conditions for all response factors were a frequency of 40 kHz, a power density of 150 W/L and 25 min of extraction time. Under these conditions, the aqueous UAE would achieve a maximum of 32.31 mg GA/100 g fw for total phenolics and 2.04 mg quercetin/100 g fw for total flavonols. Regarding the antioxidant capacity, the maximum predicted values were 53.47 and 43.66 mg Trolox/100 g fw for CUPRAC and FRAP assays, respectively. When comparing with organic UAE, in the present research, from 12% to 38% of total phenolic bibliographic values were obtained, but using only water as the extraction solvent, and applying lower temperatures and shorter extraction times. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no studies specifically addressing the optimization of both acoustic frequency and power density during aqueous-UAE of plant materials have been previously published.     

Insulation room for aero-acoustic experiments at moderate Reynolds and low Mach numbers

A non-expensive insulation box for aero-acoustic experiments at moderate Reynolds numbers Re < 2 × 10⁴ and low Mach numbers M < 0.2 is presented. Its performance is evaluated with particular attention to unwanted noise sources inherent to the flow facility. Objective acoustic parameters of the insulation box are assessed.     

Effects of ultrasonic agitation and surfactant additive on surface roughness of Si (1 1 1) crystal plane in alkaline KOH solution

In the silicon wet etching process, the “pseudo-mask” formed by the hydrogen bubbles generated during the etching process is the reason causing high surface roughness and poor surface quality. Based upon the ultrasonic mechanical effect and wettability enhanced by isopropyl alcohol (IPA), ultrasonic agitation and IPA were used to improve surface quality of Si (1 1 1) crystal plane during silicon wet etching process. The surface roughness R_q is smaller than 15 nm when using ultrasonic agitation and R_q is smaller than 7 nm when using IPA. When the range of IPA concentration (mass fraction, wt%) is 5–20%, the ultrasonic frequency is 100 kHz and the ultrasound intensity is 30–50 W/L, the surface roughness R_q is smaller than 2 nm when combining ultrasonic agitation and IPA. The surface roughness R_q is equal to 1 nm when the mass fraction of IPA, ultrasound intensity and the ultrasonic frequency is 20%, 50 W and 100 kHz respectively. The experimental results indicated that the combination of ultrasonic agitation and IPA could obtain a lower surface roughness of Si (1 1 1) crystal plane in silicon wet etching process.     

Comparison of characterization methods in high frequency sonochemical reactors of differing configurations

The aim of this study was to compare different characterization methods in order to evaluate the sonochemical efficiency of a cavitational reactor. The selected characterization methods were calorimetry and dosimetry based on potassium iodide oxidation or nitrite and nitrate ion formation. The effects of experimental parameters on physical and chemical effects of ultrasound were quantified with two transducers at a frequency of 366 kHz. The studied factors comprised temperature (16–28 °C), acoustic power (6–38 W), power density (4–61 W L^?1) and reactor configuration (D_{reactor 1} = 65 mm, D_{reactor 2} = 102 mm). Spectrophotometry was compared to ionic chromatography as a method to quantify nitrite and nitrate ions. Spectrometry was shown to be as representative as ionic chromatography. The reaction system based on the formation of both nitrite and nitrate ions was demonstrated to be as reliable as a potassium iodide dosimeter. The representativity of calorimetry was limited since part of acoustic energy was assumed to be used in the chemical reactions observed by dosimetry. Similar sonochemical efficiencies resulted from an increase of sonified surface (D_{reactor 1} = 65 mm vs. D_{reactor 2} = 102 mm) coupled to a 2-time decrease in power density at a constant emitting surface. The effect of emitting-to-sonified surface area ratio on the acoustic field was apparently limited by the height of the liquid.     

Synthesis of biodiesel from waste cooking oil using sonochemical reactors

Investigation into newer routes of biodiesel synthesis is a key research area especially due to the fluctuations in the conventional fuel prices and the environmental advantages of biodiesel. The present work illustrates the use of sonochemical reactors for the synthesis of biodiesel from waste cooking oil. Transesterification of used frying oil with methanol, in the presence of potassium hydroxide as a catalyst has been investigated using low frequency ultrasonic reactor (20 kHz). Effect of different operating parameters such as alcohol–oil molar ratio, catalyst concentration, temperature, power, pulse and horn position on the extent of conversion of oil have been investigated. The optimum conditions for the transesterification process have been obtained as molar ratio of alcohol to oil as 6:1, catalyst concentration of 1 wt.%, temperature as 45 °C and ultrasound power as 200 W with an irradiation time of 40 min. The efficacy of using ultrasound has been compared with the conventional stirring approach based on the use of a six blade turbine with diameter of 1.5 cm operating at 1000 rpm. Also the purification aspects of the final product have been investigated.     

Factors that influence the corona charging of fibrous dielectric materials

Corona discharge has a wide range of industry applications, such as charging the photosensitive layer and the toner particles in photocopying machines, modifying the wet-ability of plastic films, and conditioning the electrets for air filters. In all these situations, it is important to evaluate the surface charge density and compare it to the dielectric rigidity of atmospheric air. Experiments were carried out on 0.3 mm and 0.8 mm thick non-woven polypropylene fibrous media (average diameter of the fibres: 20 μm) that were exposed to positive corona discharges from a wire–grid–plate electrode system. The electrode system was powered from a continuously-adjustable DC high-voltage supply, employed as constant current generator. The monitored variable was the surface potential detected by the probe of an electrostatic voltmeter. The controlled variables were the potential of the grid electrode and the pre-conditioning temperature of the samples. The results of the experiments enabled a crude evaluation of each factor effect. Research should continue, using the experimental design methodology, in order to establish the optimum operating conditions.     

Effect of ultrasonic treatment on total phenolic extraction from Lavandula pubescens and its application in palm olein oil industry

The aims of the current study were to evaluate the best technique for total phenolic extraction from Lavandula pubescens (Lp) and its application in vegetable oil industries as alternatives of synthetic food additives (TBHQ and BHT). To achieve these aims, three techniques of extraction were used: ultrasonic-microwave (40 kHz, 50 W, microwave power 480 W, 5 min), ultrasonic-homogenizer (20 kHz, 150 W, 5 min) and conventional maceration as a control. By using the Folin–Ciocalteu method, the total phenolic contents (TPC) (mg gallic acid equivalent/g dry matter) were found to be 253.87, 216.96 and 203.41 for ultrasonic-microwave extract, ultrasonic-homogenizer extract and maceration extract, respectively. The ultrasonic-microwave extract achieved the higher scavenger effect of DPPH (90.53%) with EC₅₀ (19.54 μg/mL), and higher inhibition of β-carotene/linoleate emulsion deterioration (94.44%) with IC₅₀ (30.62 μg/mL). The activity of the ultrasonic-microwave treatment could prolong the induction period (18.82 h) and oxidative stability index (1.67) of fresh refined, bleached and deodorized palm olein oil (RBDPOo) according to Rancimat assay. There was an important synergist effect between citric acid and Lp extracts in improving the oxidative stability of fresh RBDPOo. The results of this work also showed that the ultrasonic-microwave assisted extract was the most effective against Gram-positive and Gram-negative strains that were assessed in this study. The uses of ultrasonic-microwave could induce the acoustic cavitation and rupture of plant cells, and this facilitates the flow of solvent into the plant cells and enhances the desorption from the matrix of solid samples, and thus would enhance the efficiency of extraction based on cavitation phenomenon.     

Factors that influence the surface potential decay on a thin film of polyethylene terephthalate (PET)

The initial potential at the surface of the sample, as well as the temperature and the relative humidity of the ambient air are known to influence the surface-potential decay characteristics of corona-charged thin insulating films. The aim of the present work is to demonstrate the effectiveness of the Experimental Design methodology for evaluating the effects of these factors. Thus, a full factorial experimental design was carried out on a thin film of polyethylene terephthalate (thickness: 0.5 mm; surface: 50 mm × 50 mm). A negative corona discharge produced in a needle–grid–plate electrode system was employed to charge the surface of the film samples. The variation domains for the three factors were respectively: ?1000 V to ?1800 V; 25 to 55 °C; 50% to 80%. The surface-potential decay process was characterized by two output variables: the time needed for the potential to reduce to respectively 50% and 10% of the initial value. It was found that the former is more affected by the temperature, while the latter is more sensitive to the variation of the relative humidity.     

Sonoluminescence quenching and cavitation bubble temperature measurements in an ionic liquid

A comparison between the temperatures within imploding acoustic cavitation bubbles and the extent of sonoluminescence (SL) quenching by C₁–C₅ aliphatic alcohols in 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethylsulfate ([EMIM][EtSO₄], a well known imidazolium based room temperature ionic liquid (RTIL)), has been made at an ultrasound frequency of 213 kHz. The temperatures obtained ranged from 3500 ± 200 K, in neat [EMIM][EtSO₄], to about 3200 ± 200 K in RTIL-alcohol containing solutions. It was also found that the SL intensity decreased with increasing concentration (up to 1 M) of the alcohols to a greater extent compared with the relative changes to the bubble temperatures. Both the extent of the reduction in the bubble temperatures and the SL quenching were much smaller than those obtained in comparable aqueous solutions containing aliphatic alcohols. Possible reasons for the differences in the observed trends between water/alcohol and [EMIM][EtSO₄]/alcohol systems under sonication at 213 kHz are discussed.     

Controlled fabrication of gallium nitride nano- and micro-wires by dielectrophoretic force and torque

This paper demonstrates the manipulation of neutral dielectric wires with high aspect ratio by a pulsed electric field. Dielectrophoretic (DEP) force and torque were employed to align the randomly positioned GaN nano- and micro-wires. A simulation of the DEP force alignment process confirmed the experimentally observed dependence on alignment yield to frequency and bias of the electric field. Current–voltage measurements of the GaN micro-wires, aligned by DEP force and torque to pre-patterned metal contacts, confirms that the direct manipulation of micro-sized wire with an electric field oscillated at a frequency of 10 kHz–5 MHz.     

Effect of ultrasound frequency on antioxidant activity,total phenolic and anthocyanin content of red raspberry puree

Ultrasound in the 20–1000 kHz range show unique propagation characteristics in fluid media and possess energy that can break down fruit matrices to facilitate the extraction of valuable bioactive compounds. Red raspberries carry significant amounts of specific antioxidants, including ellagitannins and anthocyanins that are important for human health. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of ultrasound frequencies associated with cavitation (20 kHz) and microstreaming (490 and 986 kHz) on total antioxidant activity (AOA), total phenolics content (TPC), and total monomeric anthocyanin content (ACY) of red raspberry puree prepared from crushed berries. The pureed fruit was subjected to high-intensity (20 kHz) and higher frequency-low intensity (490 and 986 kHz) ultrasound for 30 min. The temperature of treated purees increased to a maximum of 56 °C with 986 kHz. Sonication at 20 and 490 kHz significantly (p < 0.05) affected the AOA, ACY, and TPC of red raspberry puree, while 986 kHz had no significant effect on ACY and AOA (p < 0.05). In all cases, ultrasound treatment had significant and positive effect on at least one of the measured parameters up to 30 min. Sonication beyond 10 min (and up to 30 min) using 20 kHz either produced no change or caused a drop in AOA and ACY. However, for 986 and 20 kHz, TPC, increased by 10% and 9.5%, respectively after 30 min (p < 0.05) compared to the control. At 20 kHz, AOA and ACY increased by 17.3% and 12.6% after 10 min. It was demonstrated that 20 kHz ultrasound treatment, when limited to 10 min, was the most effective for extraction of bioactive compounds in red raspberry compared to 490 and 986 kHz although the effect could be similar at the higher frequencies if different amplitudes are used.