Gas jet as a waveguide for air-coupled ultrasound

The directional characteristics of an ultrasonic signal have been studied during propagation within an axial gas jet. The effects of nozzle shape, nozzle diameter, and variations in jet velocity, temperature and gas composition have been investigated. At high flow velocities of an air jet, divergence of the ultrasonic beam was observed. This was attributed to the effects of refraction, caused by increased acoustic velocities in the direction of the flow. An effective waveguide was also demonstrated by cooling the air jet to below ambient temperatures, so that the acoustic velocity in the air jet was lower than that in the surrounding atmosphere. This could also be achieved by using carbon dioxide mixed with air, whereas the use of helium led to increased divergence. The result is likely to be of use in air-coupled ultrasonic materials inspection.     

CONSERVATION LAWS FOR HEATED LAMINAR RADIAL LIQUID AND FREE JETS

The conserved quantities for the heated radial liquid jet and the heated radial free jet are established by using conservation laws. The flow in a heated radial jet is described by Prandtl's momentum boundary layer equation, the continuity equation and the energy equation. Viscous dissipation is neglected. The multiplier approach is used to derive the conservation laws for the system of three equations for the velocity components and the temperature and three conserved vectors are obtained. The conservation laws for the system of two partial differential equations for the stream function formulation are also computed by the multiplier approach and three conserved vectors are obtained. One of these is a non-local conserved vector for the system. The conserved quantities for the heated radial liquid jet and the heated radial free jet, emitted into a stationary fluid of uniform temperature θ_∞, are derived by integrating the conservation laws across the jet.     

Temperature imaging with single- and dual-wavelength acetone planar laser-induced fluorescence

Two sensitive techniques for temperature imaging by use of acetone planar laser-induced fluorescence, applicable at temperatures up to 1000 K, are introduced and demonstrated. Photophysics data on the wavelength-dependent temperature variation of acetone fluorescence permit the implementation of a single-wavelength technique in environments with constant pressure and constant acetone mole fraction, and a dual-wavelength method can be applied in flows with mixing and (or) chemical reaction. Preliminary imaging results are presented for acetone-air flow over a heated cylinder (single-wavelength strategy) and for a heated laminar jet (dual-wavelength strategy).     

介质阻挡体放电对甲烷扩散火焰特性的影响

本文在高频交流激励模式下,采用同轴圆柱构型激励器,开展了介质阻挡体放电对空气/甲烷同轴剪切扩散火焰燃烧特性影响实验研究。激励器敷设在外喷嘴环缝以电离空气,采用纹影系统和B型热电偶分别获取流场形态和火焰温度,激励频率为8 kHz,通过改变气体流量和放电电压,分析了不同工况下射流流场、火焰结构和火焰温度在等离子体作用下的变化规律。结果表明:等离子体气动效应能有效增强射流湍流强度,强化空气/甲烷掺混,增大射流角,并随激励电压提高作用效果逐渐增强,实验中未形成明显扩张流动的初始射流在放电电压30 kV时其射流角最大为23.5°。贫燃条件下等离子体激励会改善火焰形态,增强燃烧稳定性,并在流量较低时缩短火焰长度。此外,富燃火焰下游温度会随着激励强度增大不断升高,而贫燃火焰下游温度变化受上游燃烧强度影响存在升高和降低两种情况。     

Gas jets as ultrasonic waveguides

The study of the propagation of ultrasound within a gas jet is extended to obtain waveguide effects, where the jet collimates the ultrasonic beam from a transducer within the flow. Two methods have been investigated to achieve this--cooling the gas within the air jet, and using a different gas whose acoustic velocity is lower than air. Cooling an air jet to a temperature less than that of the surrounding air produced a noticeable waveguide effect. In addition, studies have been carried out using other selected gases, such as carbon dioxide (CO2) with a lower acoustic velocity than air, and helium (He) with a higher value. The former gas enhanced confinement of the ultrasonic beam, whereas the latter caused divergence. An ideal solution was found to be a CO2/air mixture, which produced a well-collimated sound field along the axis, while limiting the excess attenuation of pure CO2 gas jets. The effectiveness of the waveguide using mixed gas jets in producing images in air-coupled testing of solids is demonstrated.     

Influence of anomalous temperature dependence of water density on convection at lateral heating

The article provides results of experimental investigation of a fresh water motion in a flume with limited dimensions at lateral heating. The initial water temperature in the flume ranged from 0 to 22 °C. It is shown that there are qualitative changes of the motion picture in the vicinity of initial temperature in the flume equal to the one at which water has maximal density (approximately 4 °C). At an initial temperature in the flume exceeding or equal to 4 °C, the heated water propagates in the form of a relatively thin surface jet, and at jet reflection from the flume end walls the heated water is accumulated only in the upper layer. When the initial temperature in the flume is below 4 °C the convective instability develops. A part of the heated water sinks to the bottom. The paper provides respective illustrations and quantitative data on the distribution of temperature and velocity.     

Experimental Investigation of Jet Stabilization in Near-Axis Region of Plasma Reactor

The paper presents the results of experimental investigations of aerodynamics and heat transfer in a vortex plasma reactor with gas jet injection along its axis. The process of mixing under quasi-isothermal conditions (injection of slightly heated jet) and inhomogeneous conditions (injection of helium and argon) as well as with the injection along the axis of plasma jet is studied consistently. A detailed comparison of temperature fields and concentrations is presented for these conditions. The process of jet expansion is shown to be defined mainly by three factors — centrifugal mass forces, buoyancy forces and initial velocity shift in a jet at the chamber inlet. The end flows contribute considerably to the process of jet mass transfer with peripheral flow.     

Laser plasmatron for diamond coating deposition

An experimental installation with a laser plasmatron based on a continuous wave CO₂ laser with a radiation power of up to 3.5 kW has been created. The plasmatron design makes it possible to bring out the plasma jet into atmospheric air both along and across the laser beam direction. The spatial temperature distributions on the metal substrate surface heated by the plasma jet are measured. The threshold power for optical discharge maintenance as a function of the gas flow rate and the focal length of the focusing lens are obtained for an Ar and Ar/CH₄/H₂ gas mixture under atmospheric pressure; the radiation spectrum of the discharge plasma is measured. A one-dimensional model of the discharge for estimation of its geometrical parameters in a convergent laser beam with consideration of radiation refraction on the discharge is given.     

A computational modeling approach of the jet-like acoustic streaming and heat generation induced by low frequency high power ultrasonic horn reactors

High power ultrasound reactors have gained a lot of interest in the food industry given the effects that can arise from ultrasonic-induced cavitation in liquid foods. However, most of the new food processing developments have been based on empirical approaches. Thus, there is a need for mathematical models which help to understand, optimize, and scale up ultrasonic reactors. In this work, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was developed to predict the acoustic streaming and induced heat generated by an ultrasonic horn reactor. In the model it is assumed that the horn tip is a fluid inlet, where a turbulent jet flow is injected into the vessel. The hydrodynamic momentum rate of the incoming jet is assumed to be equal to the total acoustic momentum rate emitted by the acoustic power source. CFD velocity predictions show excellent agreement with the experimental data for power densities higher than W(0)/V ≥ 25kWm(-3). This model successfully describes hydrodynamic fields (streaming) generated by low-frequency-high-power ultrasound.     

DME/Oxygen wall-stabilized premixed cool flame

Wall-stabilized cool flames have been studied through numerical analysis and a series of experiments. One- and two-dimensional numerical simulations were performed to estimate the characteristics of the wall-stabilized cool flames, such as flammability and temperature/species distributions. Based on the computational results, the ignition condition of the cool flame at a fixed wall temperature has been identified with the strain rate between the van't Hoff point and the cool flame extinction point. In experiments with an impinging jet burner and a heated plate, the spontaneous ignition of the cool flame on the heated wall has been successfully established under the conditions predicted by the present numerical simulations. Spatial distributions of the HCHO concentration and flame temperature were measured through formaldehyde Planar Laser-Induced Fluorescence (HCHO-PLIF) and thermocouple measurements, respectively. It is found that the measurement data show a reasonable accordance with the simulation results with reduced low-temperature reactivity.     

On the interaction of a sound pulse with the shear layer of an axisymmetric jet,II: Heated jets

The fluctuating field of a heated jet excited by a sound pulse is simulated numerically. The fluctuations in both the flow field and the far field are studied. The flow field results depend crucially on the stability properties of the heated jet. The altered stability properties due to the heating cause a reduction in the overall fluctuations and a shift of the instability waves into lower frequencies. These changes cause a similar downward shift in the far field spectrum and a reduction in the total far field noise. The results provide a partial explanation in terms of stability theory of experimentally observed properties of the noise of heated jets.     

Monitoring of temperature variation in the focal region of an ultrasonic transducer

A method for remote monitoring of temperature in the focal region of a high-intensity ultrasonic transducer is described. Results of measurements and theoretical simulation are presented. The measurements were conducted on a polymer sample with thermophysical and acoustic parameters close to the properties of a soft biological tissue. The sample was heated by a focused piezoelectric transducer with different values of radiation power. The delay of a probe pulse transmitted through the heated region perpendicularly to the axis of the intense ultrasonic beam was detected. The local character of temperature measurements was provided by focusing the probe pulse at the heated region. The application of an additional transducer installed confocally with the probing one provided an opportunity to enhance the precision of measurements. An analysis was conducted on the basis of a numerical solution of the heat conduction equation. The function of thermal sources in the heat conduction equation was calculated according to the results of measuring the pressure distribution in the focal region of the heating transducer. The experimental data obtained agree well with the results of simulation and demonstrate a fundamental possibility of using the proposed ultrasonic technique for remote temperature measurements.     

加热铂丝上运动汽泡产生的射流

目前很多水的核态沸腾都观察到了汽泡顶部射流的现象。本文分析了沿细丝运动的汽泡顶部产生射流的物理机理,并通过对汽泡和加热细丝周围温度场和速度场的数值求解来进行分析。结果显示:由汽泡前后表面的温度梯度引起的热射流很可能是流动的最主要原因。热射流能够推动汽泡前进。对比和试验的观测指出,不凝气体或者其他可能的机理将限制汽泡界面处的凝结换热,从而增大表面温度梯度,增强热射流。     

氩气等离子体射流诱导水生成OH自由基的研究

·OH在众多领域中具有非常重要的作用,在国际上引起了广泛关注,而大气压等离子体射流由于不需要真空、装置简单易于携带,且具有高浓度活性粒子、高电子温度、低射流温度等优点,具有极强的应用前景,成为气体放电领域的重要研究课题。特别是如何诱导等离子体射流中·OH的产生已成为等离子体射流领域一个新的研究热点。国外率先报道了将水蒸汽以一定的比例混入等离子体射流工作气体中以诱导产生大量·OH的研究,然而当含水量较高时,射流会剧烈摆动,放电变得十分不均匀、不稳定。为此,本文设计了一种大气压双环电极氩气等离子体射流诱导水产生·OH的装置,通过引入超声雾化装置增加等离子体羽周围的湿度以提高·OH含量,重点研究了不同电压、流量下诱导水生成OH(A2Σ+)的生成规律;利用发射光谱法测试了装置产生·OH的含量;并利用810.41和811.48 nm这两条Ar原子光谱线,计算了等离子体羽中的电子温度。结果表明等离子体羽可以诱导周围的水产生·OH,且随电压从20 kV增大到28 kV时,OH(A2Σ+)的产量逐渐增大;而当氩气流量从100 L·h-1增大到200 L·h-1时,·OH产量随着流量的增大而增大,但是当氩气流量从200 L·h-1增大到600 L·h-1时,·OH产量随着流量的增大而不断减小。OH(A2Σ+)的产量和电子温度变化趋势完全一致,证明了·OH的产量主要受电子温度的影响。     

Comparative measurements on thermal plasma jet characteristics inatmospheric and low pressure plasma sprayings

The ion and electron temperatures and plasma flow velocities are measured and compared between atmospheric and low pressure plasma spraying systems. The measurements of ion temperature for two systems are carried out by an optical emission spectroscopy which uses the relative emissivities of isolated Ar I emission lines. The electron density and temperature are measured by a Langmuir probe rotating across the plasma jets. The ion saturation currents collected by a Mach probe at two orientations, perpendicular and parallel to the plasma jet, determine the flow velocity. The spatial distributions of electron density, plasma flow velocity, and the associated shock activity in thermal plasma jets are discussed in conjunction with their direct dependency upon the ambient pressures as well as the torch powers. Measurements on temperatures and velocity profiles of thermal plasma jets reveal the general features of the LPPS jet characteristics, i.e., higher velocity flow with lower temperature, longer heating zone of expanded flame, and more extended accelerating zone compared with those of the APS jets. The shock activity clearly exists in the form of standing shock waves in the plasma jet of LPPS in view of flow compression and abrupt velocity drop which are appeared in the results of measurements on the variations of electron density and flow velocity along the plasma jet. In the center of the plasma jet of APS, the electron density is high enough to reach the LTE criterion, and the difference between ion and electron temperatures becomes insignificant as the torch input power increases     

超声空化及其声流结构实验研究*

超声空化及其声流效应在医学、化工和能源等领域得到广泛应用。本文采用高速摄像和粒子图像测速系统分别研究了超声场下的空化形态和声流场结构的时空演化规律。实验研究了50W,100W,200W和250W等四种不同输入功率对18kHz的超声变幅杆附近空化及其声流场的影响。研究结果表明：（1）在变幅杆下端面处观察到由大量空化气泡均匀分布组成的倒置锥形空泡结构,并且锥形空泡结构为稳态流动结构。（2）在超声变幅杆附近产生了两种不同的声流形式,第一种是变幅杆底端的射流型声流,第二种是变幅杆两侧的回旋流。此外,通过研究空泡与声流场中最大速度点之间的空间对应关系,发现声流是因为空泡流动带动而产生的。（3）空间位置和输入功率能显著影响射流型声流的流场结构,但是对回旋流的影响十分微弱。     

热等离子体射流温度与放电功率和气体流量的定标关系

利用氮系统的高温热力学函数C_p,m,结合热量计算公式及能量平衡关系,在理论上得到热平衡等离子体射流温度与放电功率和气体流量的定标关系。结果表明,该过程满足相似性原理,射流温度不是功率和流量的一般二元函数,而是比值P_eff/f 的一元函数。并对结果进行了相关的分析和讨论,为热等离子体的应用提供了参考数据。     

Effect of laser spot size on fusion neutron yield in laser--deuterium cluster interactions

The effect of the laser spot size on the neutron yield of table-top nuclear fusion from explosions of a femtosecond intense laser pulse heated deuterium clusters is investigated by using a simplified model, in which the cluster size distribution and the energy attenuation of the laser as it propagates through the cluster jet are taken into account. It has been found that there exists a proper laser spot size for the maximum fusion neutron yield for a given laser pulse and a specific deuterium gas cluster jet. The proper spot size, which is dependent on the laser parameters and the cluster jet parameters, has been calculated and compared with the available experimental data. A reasonable agreement between the calculated results and the published experimental results is found.     

A comparison of heat production and cavitational intensity in several ultrasonic cell disruptors

High power ultrasonic equipment is now commonplace in biological, chemical and pharmaceutical laboratories. These devices are being used for a variety of purposes including emulsification, dispersion, extraction and cell disruption. The average researcher has little basis for comparing the relative energy output of various ultrasonic probes at different power settings and he has neither the interest nor the time to determine their relative heat production.This research was designed to prepare a series of relative power indices and temperature profiles for several ultrasonic cell disruptors. Even though there are variations among equipment bearing the same model number it was considered worthwhile to make available relative cavitational and temperature data.