Cavitation in water: a review

Liquid water can be brought beyond the liquid–vapor equilibrium line into a metastable state, before nucleation of bubbles (cavitation) occurs. We review the experimental work on cavitation in water, focusing on the determination of the ultimate degree of metastability at which liquid water can exist. We also present practical applications of metastability and cavitation. To cite this article: F. Caupin, E. Herbert, C. R. Physique 7 (2006).     

Crystal-liquid phase relations in silicon at negative pressure

The stable and metastable melting relations for silicon in the diamond and Si136 clathrate-II structures at positive and negative pressures are calculated by molecular dynamics computer simulation. The simulated liquid and crystalline clathrates undergo cavitation at approximately -3 and -12 GPa. Between these limits a stretched crystal would transform directly to gas in response to a mechanical instability. Most importantly, the clathrate-II crystal becomes thermodynamically stable over the diamond at negative pressure below -1 GPa at the melting point. Si136 should then crystallize from a slightly stretched liquid, which would have the same volume as a diamond-structure crystal.     

Cavitation in water under tension near the freezing point

Experiments are reported on cavitation in water at an initial temperature of 0.7°C under the dynamic tension created when a compression wave interacts with a free liquid surface. It is found that the tensile strength of water increases from 20 to 50 MPa as the strain rate is varied from 1.8 × 10⁴ to 5.2 × 10⁴ s^?1. It is shown that the phase state of water obtained in experiments is in a double metastable region.     

Melting line, spinodal and the endpoint of the melting line in the system with a modified Lennard—Jones potential

A molecular dynamics method was used to calculate the pressure p* and the internal energy e* of a liquid and a crystal in stable and metastable states in a system of 2048 particles, which interaction is described by a modified Lennard—Jones potential. For the liquid phase, calculations were performed along 13 isotherms from the range of reduced temperature T* = 0.35–3.0, and for the crystal phase, along 16 isotherms from the range T* =0.1–3.0. The thermal p* = p*(ρ*,T*) and caloric e* = e*(ρ*,T*) equations of state for liquids and crystals have been constructed. The parameters of crystal-liquid phase equilibrium have been determined from the conditions of phases coexistence at positive pressures and in the region of negative pressures, where the coexistent phases are metastable. The spinodal of a stretched liquid has been approximated. It has been found that with a temperature decrease the metastable extension of the melting line meets the spinodal of the liquid phase. The point of their meeting, the endpoint of the melting curve, is the point of termination of crystal-liquid phase equilibrium without the onset of identity of the phases.     

Surface free energy of the crystal-liquid interface on the metastable extension of the melting curve

The surface free energy γ, excess surface energy e, and excess surface stress τ at the crystal-liquid interface of a Lennard-Jones system have been determined by molecular dynamics simulation. The calculations have been performed for temperatures both above and below the triple-point temperature for the region where each of the coexisting phases is metastable and is at a negative pressure. The asymptotic behavior of γ, e, and τ has been analyzed near the endpoint of the melting curve, which is a point of the contact of the metastable extension of the melting curve and the spinodal of the stretched liquid [V.G. Baidakov and S.P. Protsenko, Phys. Rev. Lett. 95, 015701 (2005)]. It has been found that γ, e, and τ at this point are finite and the excess surface entropy is zero.     

Interaction of short laser pulses with metals at moderate intensities

The developed model including hydrodynamics with electron heat conduction and electron–ion energy exchange, and cavitation breakup of stretched metastable liquid aluminum (Al) is compared with our laser experiments. For the first time the measured and calculated ablation thresholds agree well in both crater depth and fluence.     

声驻波场中空化泡的动力学特性

以水为工作介质, 考虑了液体的可压缩性, 研究了驻波声场中空化泡的运动特性, 模拟了驻波场中各位置处空化泡的运动状态以及相关参数对各位置处空化泡在主Bjerknes力作用下运动方向的影响. 结果表明: 驻波声场中, 空化泡的运动状态分为三个区域, 即在声压波腹附近空化泡做稳态空化, 在偏离波腹处空化泡做瞬态空化, 在声压波节附近, 空化泡在主Bjerknes 力作用下, 一直向声压波节处移动, 显示不发生空化现象; 驻波场中声压幅值增加有利于空化的发生, 但声压幅值增加到一定上限时, 压力波腹区域将排斥空化泡, 并驱赶空化泡向压力波节移动, 不利于空化现象的发生; 当声频率小于初始空化泡的共振频率时, 声频率越高, 由于主Bjerknes 力的作用将有更多的空化泡向声压波节移动, 不利于空化的发生, 尤其是驻波场液面的高度不应是声波波长的1/4; 当声频率一定时, 空化泡初始半径越大越有利于空化现象的发生, 但当空化泡的初始半径超过声频率的共振半径时, 由于主Bjerknes力的作用将有更多的空化泡向声压波节移动, 不利于空化的发生.     

Metastable extensions of phase equilibrium lines and singular points of simple substance

The thermodynamic properties of crystal, liquid, and gas in the stable and metastable states have been determined by molecular dynamics simulation of a system of 2048 Lennard-Jones particles. The spinodals of a superheated crystal, a superheated liquid, and a supersaturated vapor have been approximated; the spinodal for a supercooled liquid turns out to be nonexistent. The liquid-vapor, liquid-crystal, and crystal-vapor equilibrium curves and their extensions beyond the triple point have been calculated. It has been shown that, as distinct from the metastable extension of the saturation curve, which terminates at the zero isotherm, the metastable melting and sublimation curves terminate at, respectively, the stretched liquid and superheated crystal spinodals. The properties of the critical end points of metastable equilibrium of extended phases are considered.     

Singular point of a system of Lennard-Jones particles at negative pressures

The method of molecular dynamics is used in a system of 2048 Lennard-Jones particles to determine the spinodal of a stretched liquid and crystal and the lines of their phase equilibrium at negative pressures. It is shown that a metastable extension of the melting line does not reach the zero isotherm, and ends on the spinodal of a stretched liquid. The point of termination of metastable liquid-crystal phase equilibrium is the singular point at a thermodynamic surface of states.     

Acoustic microcavitation: its active and passive acoustic detection

In this work acoustic microcavitation in water is studied primarily at 0.75 MHz and 1% duty cycle. To detect cavitation, two kinds of acoustic detectors are used. The first one is an unfocused, untuned 1-MHz receiver transducer that serves as a passive detector. The other one is a focused 30-MHz transducer that is used in pulse-echo mode and is called the active detector. Cavitation itself is brought about by a focused PZT-8 crystal driven in pulse mode. The active detector is arranged confocally with respect to the cavitation transducer. Both the interrogating pulse and the cavitation pulse arrive simultaneously at the common focus, which is the region of cavitation. With the test chamber filled with clean water, no cavitation is observed, even when the cavitation transducer is driven to give its peak output of 22 bar peak negative. Cavitation is, however, observed when polystyrene microparticles are added to the host water. Our view of how these smooth, spherical, monodispersed microparticles give rise to cavitation is described with some estimates. An attempt has been made to understand whether the presence of "streaming" affects the thresholds, and it has been found that the active detector field affects the cavitation process.     

Metastable states and their disintegration at pulse liquid heating and electrical explosion of conductors

The regularities of formation of metastable states and their disintegration under pulse liquid heating and electrical heating and explosion of conductors are studied. With a high energy flux density, the phase transitions occur with a high intensity of heat and mass fluxes, leading to spontaneous generation of a new phase and to phase explosion. The basic features of bubble-like disintegration in not uniformly superheated water and alcohol layers on the microheater are found. Regularities of matter disintegration with electrically exploded conductors are obtained. The metastable liquid disintegration is experimentally investigated for characteristic times of matter transfer to a metastable state of 1 to 4 μs; phase transitions during electric conductor explosion are studied at characteristic times of transfer to a metastable state to 200 ns. A common approach to describing the effects with radically different characteristic times of transfer of the matter to a metastable state is developed.     

声场中气泡运动的混沌特性

以水为工作介质,考虑了液体的可压缩性,研究了声场中气泡的运动特性,模拟了声波频率、声压幅值、气泡初始半径以及液体的表面张力和黏滞系数的变化对气泡运动状态的影响. 分析了空化处理效果与气泡运动状态之间关系. 结果表明:气泡运动处于混沌状态,是提高声空化降解有机污染物能力的最重要因素. 关键词： 声空化 混沌 相图 功率谱图     

Thermodynamic and kinetic considerations of nucleation and stabilization of acoustic cavitation bubbles in water

Qualitative explanation for a homogeneous nucleation of acoustic cavitation bubbles in the incompressible liquid water with simple phenomenological approach has been provided via the concept of the desorbtion of the dissolved gas and the vaporization of local liquid molecules. The liquid medium has been viewed as an ensemble of lattice structures. Validity of the lattice structure approach against the Brownian motion of molecules in the liquid state has been discussed. Criterion based on probability for nucleus formation has been defined for the vaporization of local liquid molecules. Energy need for the enthalpy of vaporization has been considered as an energy criterion for the formation of a vaporous nucleus. Sound energy, thermal energy of the liquid bulk (Joule-Thomson effect) and free energy of activation, which is associated with water molecules in the liquid state (Brownian motion) as per the modified Eyring's kinetic theory of liquid are considered as possible sources for the enthalpy of vaporization of water molecules forming a single unit lattice. The classical nucleation theory has then been considered for expressing further growth of the vaporous nucleus against the surface energy barrier. Effect of liquid property (temperature), and effect of an acoustic parameter (frequency) on an acoustic cavitation threshold pressure have been discussed. Kinetics of nucleation has been considered.     

Numerical modelling of acoustic cavitation threshold in water with non-condensable bubble nuclei

Numerical modelling of acoustic cavitation threshold in water is presented taking into account non-condensable bubble nuclei, which are composed of water vapor and non-condensable air. The cavitation bubble growth and collapse dynamics are modeled by solving the Rayleigh-Plesset or Keller-Miksis equation, which is combined with the energy equations for both the bubble and liquid domains, and directly evaluating the phase-change rate from the liquid and bubble side temperature gradients. The present work focuses on elucidating acoustic cavitation in water with a wide range of cavitation thresholds (0.02–30 MPa) reported in the literature. Computations for different nucleus sizes and acoustic frequencies are performed to investigate their effects on bubble growth and cavitation threshold. The numerical predictions are observed to be comparable to the experimental data in the previous works and show that the cavitation threshold in water has a wide range depending on the bubble nucleus size.     

Water-based enhancement of the resonant photoacoustic signal from methane–air samples excited at 3.3 μm

Photoacoustic spectroscopy is widely applied for trace-gas detection because of its sensitivity and low detection limit. In a previous work, where we studied the potential application to methane monitoring under a resonant excitation at 3.3???m, we showed that the signal from methane?Cnitrogen mixtures decreases with the addition of oxygen. This effect is due to an energy exchange between the ?? ₄ asymmetric stretching mode of methane and the first metastable level of oxygen. This process makes oxygen accumulate energy, thus hindering the generation of the photoacoustic signal. In this work, we study the possible addition of water, as a good collisional partner of oxygen, in order to obtain a greater sensitivity. We develop a model based on rate equations and find good agreement between theory and measurements. The experiment is carried out with a novel cell of rectangular cross section and a Q factor of 165±1. We find that 0.7?% water content is large enough to obtain a signal as high as in the methane?Cnitrogen case at atmospheric pressure.     

Cavitation-induced shock wave behaviour in different liquids

This paper follows our earlier work where a strong high frequency pressure peak has been observed as a consequence of the formation of shock waves due to the collapse of cavitation bubbles in water, excited by an ultrasonic source at 24 kHz. We study here the effects of liquid physical properties on the shock wave characteristics by replacing water as the medium successively with ethanol, glycerol and finally a 1:1 ethanol–water solution. The pressure frequency spectra obtained in our experiments (from more than 1.5 million cavitation collapsing events) show that the expected prominent shockwave pressure peak was barely detected for ethanol and glycerol, particularly at low input powers, but was consistently observed for the 1:1 ethanol–water solution as well as in water, with a slight shift in peak frequency for the solution. We also report two distinct features of shock waves in raising the frequency peak at MHz (inherent) and contributing to the raising of sub-harmonics (periodic). Empirically constructed acoustic pressure maps revealed significantly higher overall pressure amplitudes for the ethanol–water solution than for other liquids. Furthermore, a qualitative analysis revealed that mist-like patterns are developed in ethanol–water solution leading to higher pressures.     

Specifics of nucleation in superheated water and supersaturated vapor

This work is dedicated to the experimental studying of the nucleation kinetics in superheated water and supersaturated water vapor. A percolation model for the liquid water structure that explains a number of anomalous thermophysical properties of water and water vapor in the metastable region is proposed.     

Mechanism and characteristics of steam laser patterning

Steam laser patterning of thin films and/or solid surfaces has been studied by jetting a beam of steam, such as water vapor, onto a sample surface to form a thin liquid film on it and patterning the sample by laser etching along predetermined path. In steam laser patterning, bubbles are formed in a thin liquid film on a sample surface irradiated by a pulsed laser. When the collapsed shock wave generated at the moment of bubble collapse and the high-speed liquid jet formed during bubble collapse are strong enough, cavitation erosion of the sample surface takes place. Compared to dry laser patterning, the etching rate can be greatly enhanced and no shoulder-like structure is formed at the rim of the laser-irradiated spot in steam laser patterning due to this cavitation erosion effect. PACS 81.65.cf; 52.38.Mf; 79.20.Ds; 42.62.-b; 62.50.+p     

A computational investigation of the thermodynamics of the Stillinger-Weber family of models at supercooled conditions

The existence of metastable liquid-liquid phase transitions (LLPTs) in tetrahedral liquids such as water, silicon, and silica has been the subject of vigorous scientific debate. Because high crystallization rates hinder experimental investigation at deeply supercooled conditions, computer simulation has been widely employed to investigate the existence of LLPTs in molecular models of tetrahedral liquids. The Stillinger-Weber (SW) model of silicon (and more generally, the SW family of models) has been actively studied along these lines. Whereas some studies observe evidence of an LLPT in this model, others report that only a single metastable liquid exists under deeply supercooled conditions. Here, we perform extensive state-of-the-art free energy calculations to investigate the possibility of an LLPT in the SW model of silicon. A similar analysis is also presented for the generalized SW family of models constructed by varying the strength of the three-body energetic term. Our analysis does not show any evidence of an LLPT in SW silicon nor in the generalized family of SW models over the parameter ranges studied. Explanations for the aforementioned discrepancies between previous studies are provided, along with explicit demonstrations of how these discrepancies may have occurred. Outstanding ambiguities and directions for future work are also discussed.     

Acoustic cavitation mechanism: a nonlinear model

During acoustic cavitation process, bubbles appear when acoustic pressure reaches a threshold value in the liquid. The ultrasonic field is then submitted to the action of the bubbles. In this paper we develop a model to analyze the cavitation phenomenon in one-dimensional standing waves, based on the nonlinear code SNOW-BL. Bubbles are produced where the minimum rarefaction pressure peak exceeds the cavitation threshold. We show that cavitation bubbles appear at high amplitude and drastically affect (dissipation, dispersion, and nonlinearity) the ultrasonic field. This paper constitutes the first work that associates the nonlinear ultrasonic field to a bubble generation process.