Precise determination of the Soret,thermodiffusion and isothermal diffusion coefficients of binary mixtures of dodecane,isobutylbenzene and 1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalene (contribution of the University of Mons to the benchmark test)

Within the framework of an international benchmark test, the Soret coefficient S T , the thermodiffusion coefficient D T , and the isothermal mass diffusion coefficient D of the three binary systems formed with dodecane, isobutylbenzene and 1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalene (with a mass fraction of 0.5 in each component at a temperature of 25C) have been measured. Convective coupling in thermogravitational columns has been used to determine D T based on the Furry-Jones-Onsager theory and the so-called open-ended capillary technique for D . The ratio of D T to D , obtained in these two independent experiments, provides the Soret coefficient. In one case, we were able to use laser Doppler velocimetry to measure the modifications of the velocity amplitude due to thermodiffusion, which is also a way to obtain the Soret coefficient. Our results for these three coefficients are in good agreement with those obtained by other benchmark tests.     

New problems of particle transfer in ferrocolloids: Magnetic Soret effect and thermoosmosis

The paper deals with critical reviewing of the experiments on thermodiffusion in ferrocolloids. The observed magnetic Soret effect is much stronger than that predicted theoretically. It is shown that the main reason of that is the influence of the magnetic field on mass diffusion. Besides, some measurements are affected by uncontrolled thermal and solutal magnetic convection. In porous media, when macroscopic convection is suppressed, thermodiffusion is accompanied by thermoosmosis as well as by a microconvective mass transfer induced by particle magnetophoresis on filter grains.     

Analytical and numerical exploration of oscillatory convection in porous media

This study is part of the research about the influence of the thermal gradient on the composition and the stability of fluids in geological environments. This paper presents modelling results of oscillatory convection in a porous medium using the METSOR code. The model solves the heat and mass transport equations in a porous medium and takes into account the Soret effect (mass transport under thermal gradient). Oscillatory convection may occur in pure fluids and in binary mixtures (as a consequence of the Soret effect). Experimental data confirm the existence of this phenomenon in porous media. Here, the outputs of the METSOR code are verified against existing analytical solutions. A first modelling attempt of oscillatory convection in mixtures is presented (salt aquifer).     

Determination of the apparent negative Soret coefficient of water-10% alcohol solutions by experimental and numerical methods in packed cells

This study presents two methods for measuring the Soret coefficient of water-alcohol mixtures (with a 10% mass fraction of alcohol: ethanol or propanol-2). These methods performed with porous packing are particularly adapted for apparent negative Soret coefficient determination (i.e. where the transport of the densest compound follows the thermal gradient inside the cell). The first method uses a flat-packed Soret cell operated under a downwards vertical thermal gradient; the second method uses a packed cylindrical thermodiffusion column (operated with an horizontal thermal gradient to yield the so-called coupling between thermodiffusion-convection) and thermogravitation. The porous packing is made of inert balls (ZrO 2 ). The porosity is about 38% and the intrinsic permeability 1.01 210 m10 m 2 or even 1.31 210 m10 m 2 . For each experiment, the time evolution of the alcohol fraction sampled at the top and bottom of the cells is checked against the numerical outputs of a thermodiffusion model: the METSOR code.     

Photothermal deflection measurement of effective gas diffusion coefficient of a porous medium

In this work, an effective gas diffusion coefficient of a porous medium was measured using photothermal deflection (PD) technique. An in-house made Loschmidt diffusion cell with a photothermal-deflection probe were employed to measure the effective gas diffusion coefficient of a gas diffusion layer (GDL) with a porosity ε ≈ 0.7. The concentration evolutions of CO₂ in O₂ with and without the GDL were measured, respectively, using a transverse normal PD technique. The concentration variations were used to deduce the gas diffusion coefficients in the presence and absence of the GDL by solving mass diffusion equations. The effective gas diffusion coefficient of the GDL was calculated from the diffusion coefficients using a model of an equivalent resistance to diffusion and found to be 4.39 × 10^-6 m²s^-1, demonstrating that PD technique can be employed to determine the effective gas diffusion coefficient of a porous medium.     

Role of the velocity frame of reference in thermodiffusion in liquid mixtures

The role and significance of the velocity frame of reference in the interpretation, modeling and formulation of thermodiffusion in multicomponent liquid mixtures were investigated, focused on the nonequilibrium thermodynamics modeling approach. The effect of the velocity frame of reference on the phenomenological equations and thermodiffusion coefficients and expressions is explored. Theoretically and also by the aid of representative calculations, it is shown that while in binary mixtures transformation from one frame to another does not affect the sign and magnitude of the thermodiffusion coefficients, in multicomponent mixtures (ternary and higher), even the sign of the thermodiffusion coefficients may change when an alternative frame is used. This implies that in multicomponent mixtures for either experimental data or model estimations, the employed velocity frame for the thermodiffusion coefficients plays an important role in calculations. The Soret coefficients and the thermodiffusion factors are independent of the frame of reference.     

Scaling and excitation of combined convection in a rapidly rotating plane layer

The optimum (to my mind) scaling of the combined thermal and compositional convection in a rapidly rotating plane layer is proposed.This scaling follows from self-consistent estimates of typical physical quantities. Similarity coefficients are introduced for the ratio convection dissipation/convection generation (s) and the ratio thermal convection/compositional convection (r). The third new and most important coefficient δ is the ratio of the characteristic size normal to the axis of rotation to the layer thickness. The faster the rotation, the lower δ. In the case of the liquid Earth core, δ ~ 10^–3 substitutes for the generally accepted Ekman number (E ~ 10^–15) and s ~ 10^–6 substitutes for the inverse Rayleigh number 1/Ra ~ 10^–30. It is found that, at turbulent transport coefficients, number s and the Prandtl number are on the order of unity for any objects and δ is independent of transport coefficients. As a result of expansion in powers of δ, an initially 3D system of six variables is simplified to an almost 2D system of four variables without δ. The problem of convection excitation in the main volume is algebraically solved and this problem for critical values is analytically solved. Dispersion relations and general expressions for critical wavenumbers, numbers s (which determine Rayleigh numbers), other critical parameters, and asymptotic solutions are derived. Numerical estimates are made for the liquid cores in the planets that resemble the Earth. Further possible applications of the results obtained are proposed for the interior of planets, moons, their oceans, stars, and experimental objects.     

MHD oscillatory flow on free convection–radiation through a porous medium with constant suction velocity

Unsteady two-dimensional hydromagnetic free convection and thermal radiation flow of an electrically conducting viscous-incompressible fluid, through a highly porous medium bounded by a vertical plane surface of constant temperature are presented. The Rosseland diffusion approximation is used to describe the radiative heat flux in the energy equation. Expressions for the velocity and temperature are obtained. The free-stream velocity of the fluid vibrates about a mean constant value and the surface absorbs the fluid with constant velocity. Effects of varying R (radiative parameter), G (Grashof number), k′ (permeability of the porous medium) and M (magnetic parameter upon the velocity field and the effect of varying R and Pr (Prandtl number) on the temperature are discussed.     

Correlation between the Soret coefficient and the static structure factor in a polymer blend

Mutual mass diffusion and thermal diffusion has been investigated in poly(dimethylsiloxane)/ poly(ethylmethylsiloxane) (PDMS/PEMS) polymer blends of equal weight fractions. Molar masses ranged from below 1 to over 20 kg/mol. Both the mutual mass (D) and the thermal diffusion (D_T) coefficient contain a thermally activated factor with an activation temperature of 1415 K. The molar mass dependence of D_T is due to an end-group effect of the local friction coefficient. The thermal diffusion coefficient in the limit of long chains and infinite temperature is D_T^0, = - 1.69×10^-7cm²(sK)^-1. The Soret coefficient S_T of blends far enough away from a critical point is proportional to the static structure factor S(q = 0).     

Time component of the mirror beta decays of12B and12N

Beta-ray angular distributions from aligned¹²B and¹²N have been observed in order to study the meson-exchange effect in a nucleus. Alignment-correlation coefficients for¹²B and¹²N were determined to be _–=–(0.0174±0.0059)%/MeV and ₊=–(0.2774±0.0086)%/MeV, respectively. These values are fairly consistent with the previous values, while the reliability was greatly improved. From these coefficients, the nuclear parametery, i.e. the ratio of the time component of the axial vector currents of the Gamow-Teller matrix element, was determined to bey=4.13±0.15. The value is enhanced by 33% from that calculated by use of the impulse approximation, which clearly shows a considerable effect due to meson-exchange currents.     

Measuring the Soret coefficient of binary hydrocarbon mixtures in packed thermogravitational columns (contribution of Toulouse University to the benchmark test)

Within the framework of an international benchmark test, our group which researches packed thermogravitational columns has measured the porous medium thermodiffusion coefficient of two hydrocarbon binary mixtures: tetrahydronaphthalene-dodecane and tetrahydronaphthalene-isobutylbenzene. The weight fraction of each component was near 50 wt%.     

Cross-diffusive effects on the onset of double-diffusive convection in a horizontal saturated porous fluid layer heated and salted from above

Double-diffusive stationary and oscillatory instabilities at the marginal state in a saturated porous horizontal fluid layer heated and salted from above are investigated theoretically under the Darcy's framework for a porous medium. The contributions of Soret and Dufour coefficients are taken into account in the analysis. Linear stability analysis shows that the critical value of the Darcy-Rayleigh number depends on cross-diffusive parameters at marginally stationary convection, while the marginal state characterized by oscillatory convection does not depend on the cross-diffusion terms even if the condition and frequency of oscillatory convection depends on the cross-diffusive parameters. The critical value of the Darcy-Rayleigh number increases with increasing value of the solutal Darcy-Rayleigh number in the absence of cross-diffusive parameters. The critical Darcy-Rayleigh number decreases with increasing Soret number, resulting in destabilization of the system, while its value increases with increasing Dufour number, resulting in stabilization of the system at the marginal state characterized by stationary convection. The analysis reveals that the Dufour and Soret parameters as well as the porosity parameter play an important role in deciding the type of instability at the onset. This analysis also indicates that the stationary convection is followed by the oscillatory convection for certain fluid mixtures. It is interesting to note that the roles of cross-diffusive parameters on the double-diffusive system heated and salted from above are reciprocal to the double-diffusive system heated and salted from below.     

Thermodiffusion and Vaporization of Metal from Levitated Droplet V. Determination of Condensation Rate and Thermodiffusion Parameters of Mn, Fe, and Ni Vapours

In the present paper the experimental data of vaporization from levitated droplet for Mn, Co, Ni in the flow of argon obtained from the bibliography were evaluated by means of the new method published in the previous work [Czech. J. Phys. 50 (2000) 737]. The rate constants of condensation, thermodiffusion ratios, thermodiffusion coefficients and the corresponding temperature dependencies were determined together with other physical quantities for Mn vapour at the temperature 2000 K and for Fe, Ni at 2200 K. The rate constant of condensation and the thermodiffusion ratio are higher for Ni than for Fe. The value of thermodiffusion coefficient determined for Mn is rather high and the rate constant of condensation is higher than for Ni. The increase of vaporization resulting from condensation and thermodiffusion for Mn was only 2.7-times and for Fe and Ni (5.5-5.65)-times. The process of vaporization from a levitated droplet includes molecular diffusion and convective diffusion, molecular thermodiffusion with vapour condensation and condensation without thermodiffusion. The proportions of these processes were for Mn in the range (37-29) condensation dominated and its share was over 70 accurate experimental data and this is the reason why the evaluation of the Co vaporization was unsuccessful. The work also presents some proposals of experimental procedures leading to the data accuracy improvement.     

Currents of the second kind in quasielastic scattering ofv(\tilde v) by free polarized nucleons

Expressions are obtained for the cross sections for scattering of high-energy (E _v Mc², where M is the nucleon mass) neutrinos and antineutrinos by free polarized nucleons with currents of the second kind taken into account. The effect of the axial-tensor form factor F_T of these currents on the spin asymmetry coefficients A_L and A_S and on the charge asymmetry coefficient is considered. It is shown that experimental study of the energy dependence of these coefficients can improve the accuracy of the bounds on the form factor.Russian University of the Friendship of Nations. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 1, pp. 36–40, January, 1993.     

Scaling in convective evaporation and sidewall boundary layer

Turbulent convection at aspect ratios from 0.06 to 2 is investigated in the laboratory with evaporation experiments from vertical cylinders having different diameters and liquid levels. With alcohol, only diffusive evaporation takes place. With water, for small diameters, evaporation proceeds by diffusion whereas convective evaporation develops when the diameter is increased. This onset can be effectively interpreted in terms of a viscous sidewall boundary layer, whose thickness δ varies with respect to the available height h according to δ/h = 3.4 Ra^-0.28±0.01 versus Rayleigh number Ra. The Sherwood number Sh, analog of the Nusselt number, exhibits a power law variation Sh = 0.6 Ra^0.27±0.02 for Ra varying from 10⁴ to 3 ×10⁸. The scaling observed in this case of an open boundary is thus similar to the scaling measured in confined Rayleigh-Bénard convection.     

Investigation of prostate cancer using diffusion-weighted intravoxel incoherent motion imaging

Purpose

The objective of this work was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of the intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) model to differentiate between healthy and malignant prostate tissue.

Materials and Methods

Regions of interest were drawn in healthy and cancerous tissue of 13 patients with histologically proven prostate carcinoma and fitted to a monoexponential model [yielding the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC)] and the IVIM signal equation (yielding the perfusion fraction f, the diffusion constant D and the pseudodiffusion coefficient of perfusion D?). Parameter maps were calculated for all parameters.

Results

The ADC, D and f were significantly (P<.005) lowered in cancerous tissue (1.01±0.22 μm²/ms, 0.84±0.19 μm²/ms and 14.27±7.10%, respectively) compared to benign tissue (1.49±0.17 μm²/ms, 1.21±0.22 μm²/ms and 21.25±8.32%, respectively). Parameter maps of D and f allowed for a delineation of the tumor, but showed higher variations compared to the ADC map.

Conclusion

Apparent diffusion coefficient maps provide better diagnostic performance than IVIM maps for tumor detection. However, the results suggest that the reduction of the ADC in prostate cancer stems not only from changes in cellularity but also from perfusion effects. IVIM imaging might hold promise for the diagnosis of other prostatic lesions.     

Molecular dynamics study of thermal diffusion in a binary mixture of alkanes trapped in a slit pore

We have used direct non-equilibrium molecular dynamics computer simulations to study the influence of an aluminosilicate slit pore on thermal diffusion in equimolar methane- n -decane. We have computed the Soret coefficient S T as a function of the pore width. The S T values deviate from those in a pore-free situation only for pores narrower than 35 Å. We have then investigated the possible causes for this deviation. We have noticed that the solid behaves as a thermal short circuit for the liquid but this has no consequence on the thermal and solutal profiles in the mixture. The main influence of the confinement of the liquid lies in the 'freezing' of the layer of molecules in contact with the pore walls. Outside this layer, the thermal diffusive behaviour of the mixture does not depart from that in the bulk fluid. This finding has enabled us to compute a 'corrected' Soret coefficient where the influence of the porous medium is eliminated.     

Measurement of nonlinear absorption coefficients in GaAs, InP and Si by an optical pump THz probe technique

An optical pump terahertz (THz) probe method for measuring carrier mobility and multiphoton absorption coefficients in semiconductors is demonstrated. A THz probe pulse is used to detect the transient photoconductivity generated by an optical pump pulse. The change in transmission coefficient at THz frequencies due to a pump pulse with photon energy greater than the band gap energy is used to determine the sum of electron and hole mobilities. The weak nonlinear absorption of a pump pulse with photon energy less than the band gap energy produces an approximately uniform free carrier distribution. The THz transmission coefficient vs. pump fluence, and the mobility, are used in a bulk photoconductivity model to determine the multiphoton absorption coefficients. For GaAs, InP and Si we find two photon absorption coefficients at 1305 nm of 42.5 ± 11, 70 ± 18 and 3.3 ± 0.9 cm/GW, respectively. For GaAs and InP we determine three photon absorption coefficients at 2144 nm of 0.19 ± 0.07 and 0.22 ± 0.08 cm³/GW².     

Effective medium method of slightly compressible elastic media permeated with air-filled bubbles

An effective medium method is developed for the slightly compressible elastic media permeated with air-filled bubbles, according to the nonlinear oscillation of the bubble, which happens when compressional wave travels through the porous media. The effective Lame coefficients of the porous medium and the nonlinear elastic wave equation are deduced, based on the fact that the micro-unit of the effective medium should have the same stress and strain as the micro-unit of the porous media. The linearized properties obtained by this method are in good agreement with the results of Gaunaurd’s classic theory [Gaunaurd G.C. and überall H., J. Acoust. Soc. Am., 1978, 63: 1699–1711]. Furthermore, the nonlinear coefficient, which is an important property of the porous media, can also be acquired by this method. __________ Translated from Acta Acustica, 2006 (in Chinese) (in press)