Investigation of liquid–liquid drop coalescence using tomographic PIV

High-speed tomographic PIV was used to investigate the coalescence of drops placed on a liquid/liquid interface; the coalescence of a single drop and of a drop in the presence of an adjacent drop (side-by-side drops) was investigated. The viscosity ratio between the drop and surrounding fluids was 0.14, the Ohnesorge number (Oh = μ_d/(ρ_dσD)^1/2) was 0.011, and Bond numbers (Bo = (ρ _d  − ρ _s )gD ²/σ) were 3.1–7.5. Evolving volumetric velocity fields of the full coalescence process allowed for quantification of the velocity scales occurring over different time scales. For both single and side-by-side drops, the coalescence initiates with an off-axis film rupture and film retraction speeds an order of magnitude larger than the collapse speed of the drop fluid. This is followed by the formation and propagation of an outward surface wave along the coalescing interface with wavelength of approximately 2D. For side-by-side drops, the collapse of the first drop is asymmetric due to the presence of the second drop and associated interface deformation. Overall, tomographic PIV provides insight into the flow physics and inherent three-dimensionalities in the coalescence process that would not be achievable with flow visualization or planar PIV only.     

Jet pinch-off and drop formation in immiscible liquid–liquid systems

The behavior of glycerin–water jets flowing into immiscible ambients of Dow Corning 200 fluid was investigated using laser induced fluorescence (LIF). Undistorted images were obtained by matching the index of refraction of the fluids. A sinusoidal perturbation was superposed on the flow to phase lock the drop formation. The forcing frequency dramatically affected the size, spacing, and number of drops that formed within a forcing cycle and the angle between drops and the jet interface just before pinch-off. Two fluid combinations were studied with similar density ratios, but viscosity ratios differing by a factor of 20. The viscosity ratio affected the jet stability as well as pinch-off angles and drop size. Received: 28 January 1999/Accepted: 20 January 2000     

Application of a high-speed laser-induced fluorescence technique for studying the three-dimensional structure of annular gas–liquid flow

The wavy structure of liquid film in annular gas?Cliquid flow was studied using a high-speed modification of the laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) technique, which was adapted for three-dimensional measurements. The three-dimensional structure of different types of waves in regimes with and without liquid entrainment was investigated. A comparison of the circumferential size of different types of waves was performed. Disturbance waves at high liquid Reynolds numbers were shown to be circumferentially non-uniform, and it was shown that this non-uniformity affects the generation of ripples.     

Flow patterns and pressure drop of ionic liquid–water two-phase flows in microchannels

The two-phase flow of a hydrophobic ionic liquid and water was studied in capillaries made of three different materials (two types of Teflon, FEP and Tefzel, and glass) with sizes between 200 μm and 270 μm. The ionic liquid was 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis{(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl}amide, with density and viscosity of 1420 kg m⁻³ and 0.041 kg m⁻¹ s⁻¹, respectively. Flow patterns and pressure drop were measured for two inlet configurations (T- and Y-junction), for total flow rates of 0.065–214.9 cm³ h⁻¹ and ionic liquid volume fractions from 0.05 to 0.8. The continuous phase in the glass capillary depended on the fluid that initially filled the channel. When water was introduced first, it became the continuous phase with the ionic liquid forming plugs or a mixture of plugs and drops within it. In the Teflon microchannels, the order that fluids were introduced did not affect the results and the ionic liquid was always the continuous phase. The main patterns observed were annular, plug, and drop flow. Pressure drop in the Teflon microchannels at a constant ionic liquid flow rate, was found to increase as the ionic liquid volume fraction decreased, and was always higher than the single phase ionic liquid value at the same flow rate as in the two-phase mixture. However, in the glass microchannel during plug flow with water as the continuous phase, pressure drop for a constant ionic liquid flow rate was always lower than the single phase ionic liquid value. A modified plug flow pressure drop model using a correlation for film thickness derived for the current fluids pair showed very good agreement with the experimental data.     

A liquid–vapor interface positioning method applied to PLIF measurements around evaporating monodisperse droplet streams

A planar laser induced fluorescence measurement of the vapor mole fraction field is developed around acetone monodisperse droplet streams. An accurate calibration is performed with an acetone saturated hermetic cell. An interface positioning method based on the Lorenz–Mie theory and on the geometrical optic is proposed on the images with the liquid phase despite the blooming effect. This accurate position is necessary to eliminate the blooming subsequently by hiding the liquid phase. Quantitative results obtained with two different injection temperatures concur with the numerical simulations.     

Investigating the effects of shear rate on the collapse time in a gas–liquid system by lattice Boltzmann

In order to evaluate the effects of shear rate on the time of collapse process in a two-phase; one component system, a free energy lattice Boltzmann model is developed. Considering a system consists of two droplets in the surrounding vapor it is observed that, for various physical and geometrical conditions, imposing shear flow has similar effects on the collapse time. Actually, for each case there is an optimum shear rate of collapse that is corresponded to highest collapse rate and smallest time. In all test cases, for shear rates smaller than the optimum value, increasing the shear rate raise collapse rate and reduce its time. But for higher shear rates, increasing the shear rate has reverse effect and decreases the collapse rate. The results also show that, higher droplet radius ratio, viscosity ratio, surface tension and interface thickness lead to a higher optimum shear rate of collapse while higher density ratio of liquid and vapor decreases that.     

Pressure drop measurements inside a flat channel – with flush mounted and protruding electrodes of variable length – using an electrorheological fluid

In this study the slit flow of an electrorheological (ER) fluid in an AC-field is studied with and without obstruction. Non-viscometric flow conditions are attained either by keeping the lengths of the electrodes short or by obstructing the flow via protruding electrodes. This latter condition seems to be beneficial, at least at low volume flow rates and short electrodes. Received: 5 November 1998 / Accepted: 7 July 1999     

Investigation of two-phase flow pattern,liquid holdup and pressure drop in viscous oil–gas flow

An experimental investigation was carried out on viscous oil–gas flow characteristics in a 69 mm internal diameter pipe. Two-phase flow patterns were determined from holdup time-traces and videos of the flow field in a transparent section of the pipe, in which synthetic commercial oils (32 and 100 cP) and sulfur hexafluoride gas (SF₆) were fed at oil superficial velocities from 0.04 to 3 m/s and gas superficial velocities from 0.0075 to 3 m/s.     

Residual mass and flow regimes for the immiscible liquid–liquid displacement in a plane channel

The motion of two immiscible liquids in a plane channel is analyzed for the case in which the flow conditions and the interactions between the liquids and the solid surface maintain the displaced fluid attached to the wall. The Galerkin Finite Element Method is used to compute the velocity field and the configuration of the interface between the two fluids. We compare the residual mass fraction left on the wall with its two counterparts in capillary tubes, namely residual mass fraction and dimensionless layer thickness of the displaced fluid. The main result of this comparison was that although there is a qualitative similarity concerning the layer thickness between the two cases, the residual fraction of mass presented an important difference, showing that when the aspect ratio of the capillary passage is large there is an increase in the displacement efficiency. The thickness of the displaced liquid film attached to the channel walls is a function of the capillary number (Ca) and the viscosity ratio (N_μ). A map of streamlines in the Cartesian space (Ca, N_μ) with the different flow regimes of the problem is presented. We also showed that we can adapt the available analytical results obtained for gas-displacement in capillary tubes to the plane channel case, for low values of Ca.     

On the Rate of Decay of the Oseen Semigroup in Exterior Domains and its Application to Navier–Stokes Equation

We prove L_p-L_q estimates of the Oseen semigroup in n-dimensional exterior domains which refine and improve those obtained by Kobayashi and Shibata [15]. As an application, we give a globally in time stability theory for the stationary Navier–Stokes flow whose velocity at infinity is a non-zero constant vector. We thus extend the result of Shibata [21]. In particular, we find an optimal rate of convergence of solutions of the non-stationary problem to those of the corresponding stationary problem.     

Time-resolved stereo PIV measurements of shock–boundary layer interaction on a supercritical airfoil

Time-resolved stereo particle-image velocimetry (TR-SPIV) and unsteady pressure measurements are used to analyze the unsteady flow over a supercritical DRA-2303 airfoil in transonic flow. The dynamic shock wave–boundary layer interaction is one of the most essential features of this unsteady flow causing a distinct oscillation of the flow field. Results from wind-tunnel experiments with a variation of the freestream Mach number at Reynolds numbers ranging from 2.55 to 2.79 × 10⁶ are analyzed regarding the origin and nature of the unsteady shock–boundary layer interaction. Therefore, the TR-SPIV results are analyzed for three buffet flows. One flow exhibits a sinusoidal streamwise oscillation of the shock wave only due to an acoustic feedback loop formed by the shock wave and the trailing-edge noise. The other two buffet flows have been intentionally influenced by an artificial acoustic source installed downstream of the test section to investigate the behavior of the interaction to upstream-propagating disturbances generated by a defined source of noise. The results show that such upstream-propagating disturbances could be identified to be responsible for the upstream displacement of the shock wave and that the feedback loop is formed by a pulsating separation of the boundary layer dependent on the shock position and the sound pressure level at the shock position. Thereby, the pulsation of the separation could be determined to be a reaction to the shock motion and not vice versa.     

Application of PFG–NMR to Study the Impact of Colloidal Deposition on Hydrodynamic Dispersion in a Porous Medium

Colloidal particulate deposition affects the performance of industrial equipment, reverse osmosis membranes and sub-surface contaminant transport. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques, i.e. diffusion, diffraction and velocity imaging, are used to study the effect deposited colloidal particulate have on the fluid dynamics of water inside a model porous medium. Specially prepared oil-filled hard-sphere particles allow monitoring of particulate accumulation via NMR spectroscopy. Evidence of preferential spatial deposition is observed after the initial colloidal particulate deposition. Loss of spatial homogeneity is observed through NMR diffraction, while observations of the probability distributions of displacement (propagators) indicate the formation of back-bone type flow. This paper presents unique dynamic NMR data for the non-invasive non-destructive investigation of fluid transport in opaque porous media experiencing colloidal deposition.     

Application of Takagi–Sugeno fuzzy model to a class of chaotic synchronization and anti-synchronization

In this study, we investigate a class of chaotic synchronization and anti-synchronization with stochastic parameters. A controller is composed of a compensation controller and a fuzzy controller which is designed based on fractional stability theory. Three typical examples, including the synchronization between an integer-order Chen system and a fractional-order Lü system, the anti-synchronization of different 4D fractional-order hyperchaotic systems with non-identical orders, and the synchronization between a 3D integer-order chaotic system and a 4D fractional-order hyperchaos system, are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the controller. The numerical simulation results and theoretical analysis both demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. Overall, this study presents new insights concerning the concepts of synchronization and anti-synchronization, synchronization and control, the relationship of fractional and integer order nonlinear systems.     

Order and disorder in particle–liquid flows in a pipe

The spherical expanded polystyrene particle–oil two-phase flow in a vertical pipe was used to simulate the dispersed phase distribution in laminar bubbly flows. A three-dimensional particle image tracking technique was used to track the particles in the flow to study the ordered structure of dispersed phase distribution and its transition to disorder. The ordered structures behaved as particle strings aligned in the flow direction as induced by the flow shear. The structures were quite durable in high liquid velocity flows and dispersed gradually as the liquid velocity decreased. In lower velocity flows, the particles tended to form clusters in the horizontal direction, as predicted by potential theory for spherical bubbles rising in a quiescent inviscid liquid and as observed in experiments on non-shear bubbly water flows.     

Combined PDA and LIF applied to size–temperature correlations measurements in a heated spray

This paper aims to demonstrate the possibility to achieve droplet temperature measurements per droplet size class by combining two-color laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) and phase Doppler analyzer (PDA). For that purpose, PDA and LIF signal acquisitions are synchronized on the same time base. LIF signal is processed on each of the defined size classes in order to derive the droplet temperature. Since PDA is roughly sensitive to D ² and LIF roughly to D ³, the detection range of the combination of the two techniques in term of droplet size is carefully analyzed. Finally, the technique is demonstrated on a spray of n-decane injected in a turbulent over-heated air flow. The influence of the droplet size and Stokes number on the heating process of the droplets is clearly highlighted.     

Frictional pressure drop during vapour–liquid flow in minichannels: Modelling and experimental evaluation

Condensation in minichannels is widely used in air-cooled condensers for the automotive and air-conditioning industry, in heat pipes and other applications for system thermal control. The knowledge of pressure drops in such small channels is important in order to optimize heat transfer surfaces. This paper presents a model for calculation of the frictional pressure gradient during condensation or adiabatic liquid–gas flow inside minichannels with different surface roughness. In order to account for the effects of surface roughness, new experimental frictional pressure gradient data associated to single-phase flow and adiabatic two-phase flow of R134a inside a single horizontal mini tube with rough wall has been used in the modelling. It is a Friedel (1979) [Friedel, L., 1979. Improved friction pressure drop correlations for horizontal and vertical two-phase pipe flow. In: Proceedings of the European Two-Phase Flow Group Meeting, Ispra, Paper E2] based model and it takes into account mass velocity, vapor quality, fluid properties, reduced pressure, tube diameter, entrainment ratio and surface roughness. With respect to the flow pattern prediction capability, it has been built for shear dominated flow regimes inside pipes, thus, annular, annular-mist and mist flow are here predicted. However, the suggested procedure is extended to the intermittent flow in minichannels and it is also applied with success to horizontal macro tubes.     

Detection of liquid–metal, free-surface flow using the DLP measurement technique

Novel accelerator applications favor free-surface liquid–metal flows, in which the liquid acts both as a target producing secondary particles but also to remove efficiently the heat deposited. A crucial aspect for the operation is the continuous monitoring of both shape and position of the liquid’s surface. This demands, in a nuclear environment, a non-intrusive measurement technique with high temporal and spatial resolution. In this context, the double-layer projection (DLP) technique based on geometric optics has been developed, allowing one to detect either point-wise or area-wise the shape and position of the nearly totally reflecting liquid–metal surface. The DLP technique employs a laser beam projected through a coplanar glass plate to the surface from which it is reflected to the plate again. Beam locations captured by means of a camera permit the position and shape of the surface to be reconstructed. The parameters affecting the resolution and performance of the DLP technique are discussed. Additionally, validation studies using static and moving objects of pre-defined shape are conducted, exhibiting spatial and temporal resolutions of 300 μm and 100 Hz, respectively. Finally, the DLP system is applied to perform measurements of a circular hydraulic jump (CHJ) in a liquid metal. The DLP system has proved the capability to measure the jump both qualitatively and quantitatively. Additionally, the experiments identified, at high Reynolds numbers, the existence of a two-step jump. The analysis of spectral data of the DLP surface measurements shows clearly that, at the outer radius, gravity waves occur. Also, contributions from the pump oscillations were found, demonstrating the high performance of the DLP system.     

Characteristics of flow and liquid distribution in a gas–liquid vortex separator with multi spiral arms

Fischer–Tropsch (F–T) synthesis is an important route to achieve the clean fuel production. The performance of gas–liquid separation equipment involving in the progressive condensation and separation of light and heavy hydrocarbons in the oil-gas products has become a bottleneck restricting the smooth operation of the F–T process. In order to remove the bottleneck, a gas–liquid vortex separator with simple structure, low pressure drop and big separation capacity was designed to achieve the efficient separation between gas and droplets for a long period. The RSM (Reynolds Stress Model) and DPM (Discrete Phase Method) are employed to simulate the flow characteristics and liquid distribution in the separator. The results show that the separation efficiency is influenced by the flow field and liquid phase concentration in the annular zone. The transverse vortex at the top of spiral arm entrains the droplets with small diameter into the upper annular zone. The entrained droplets rotate upward at an angle of about 37.4°. The screw pitch between neighbor liquid threads is about 0.3 m. There is a top liquid ring in the top of annular zone, where the higher is the liquid phase concentration, the lower is the separation efficiency. It is found that by changing the operating condition and the annular zone height the vortex can be strengthened but not enlarged by the inlet velocity. The screw pitch is not affected by both inlet velocity and annular zone height. The liquid phase concentration in the top liquid ring decreases with both the increases of inlet velocity and annular zone height. The total pressure drop is almost not affected by the annular zone height but is obviously affected by the inlet velocity. When the height of annular zone is more than 940 mm, the separation efficiency is not changed. Therefore, the annular zone height of 940 mm is thought to be the most economical design.