Time-of-flight flow imaging of two-component flow inside a microfluidic chip

Here we report on using NMR imaging and spectroscopy in conjunction with time-of-flight tracking to noninvasively tag and monitor nuclear spins as they flow through the channels of a microfluidic chip. Any species with resolvable chemical-shift signatures can be separately monitored in a single experiment, irrespective of the optical properties of the fluids, thereby eliminating the need for foreign tracers. This is demonstrated on a chip with a mixing geometry in which two fluids converge from separate channels, and is generally applicable to any microfluidic device through which fluid flows within the nuclear spin-lattice relaxation time.     

Charge inversion and flow reversal in a nanochannel electro-osmotic flow

Ion distribution and velocity profiles for electro-osmotic flow in a 3.49 nm wide slit channel with a surface charge density of -0.285 C/m(2) are studied using molecular dynamics simulations. Simulation results indicate that the concentration of the co-ion exceeds that of the counterion in the region 0.53 nm away from the channel wall, and the electro-osmotic flow is in the opposite direction to that predicted by the classical continuum theory. The charge inversion is mainly caused by the molecular nature of water and ions. The flow reversal is caused by the immobilization of counterions adsorbed on the channel wall and due to the charge inversion phenomena.     

Particle flow in a jet

The angular distribution of hadrons in a jet is evaluated in perturbative QCD. The predictions are restrictive in the sense they do no depend on the details of the non-perturbative process. The distribution depends on only one phenomenologically adjustable parameter, a cutoff massQ ₀ (in addition to the universal QCD mass-scale ). The fit of the leading order prediction to the TASSO data is obtained withQ ₀270 MeV.The low value ofQ ₀ supports the hypothesis of local partonhadron duality. The particle flow in a gluon jet is also analysed.     

Numerical study of flow and heat transfer from a torus placed in a uniform flow

Forced convection heat transfer characteristics of a torus (maintained at a constant temperature) immersed in a streaming fluid normal to the plane of the torus are studied numerically. The governing equations, namely, continuity, momentum and thermal energy in toroidal coordinate system, are solved using a finite difference method over ranges of parameters (aspect ratio of torus, 1.4 ≤ Ar ≤ 20; Reynolds number, 20 ≤ Re ≤ 40; Prandtl number, 0.7 ≤ Pr ≤ 10). Over the ranges of parameters considered herein, the nature of flow is assumed to be steady. In particular, numerical results elucidating the influence of Reynolds number, Prandtl number and aspect ratio on the isotherm patterns, local and average Nusselt numbers for the constant temperature (on the surface of the torus) boundary condition. As expected, at large aspect ratio the flow pattern and heat transfer are similar to the case of flow and heat transfer over a single circular cylinder.     

Stretching in a model of a turbulent flow

Using a multi-scaled, chaotic flow known as the KS model of turbulence [J.C.H. Fung, J.C.R. Hunt, A. Malik, R.J. Perkins, Kinematic simulation of homogeneous turbulence by unsteady random fourier modes, J. Fluid Mech. 236 (1992) 281-318], we investigate the dependence of Lyapunov exponents on various characteristics of the flow. We show that the KS model yields a power law relation between the Reynolds number and the maximum Lyapunov exponent, which is similar to that for a turbulent flow with the same energy spectrum. Our results show that the Lyapunov exponents are sensitive to the advection of small eddies by large eddies, which can be explained by considering the Lagrangian correlation time of the smallest scales. We also relate the number of stagnation points within a flow to the maximum Lyapunov exponent, and suggest a linear dependence between the two characteristics.     

Spectral analysis of the flow sound interaction at a bias flow liner

The interaction between the flow field and the sound field is responsible for the sound absorption at perforated acoustic liners with bias flow and has to be investigated contactlessly. Based on the optically measured flow velocity spectrum, an energy analysis was performed. As a result, the generation of broadband flow velocity fluctuations in the shear layer surrounding the bias flow caused by the flow sound interaction has been observed. In addition, the magnitude of this acoustically induced flow velocity oscillation exhibits a correlation with the acoustic dissipation coefficient of the bias flow liner. This supports the assumption that an energy transfer between the flow field and the sound field is responsible for the acoustic damping.     

Nonstationary supersonic flow around a body

It is found that a nonstationary regime of supersonic flow around bodies that differs radically from the standard stationary flow can occur for high Mach numbers and low specific heat ratios of a gas. This regime is characterized by large-scale vortices in a shock-compressed region in front of the body, a curved shock-wave profile, and oscillation of all flow parameters. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 69, 95–97 (December 1999)     

Hydromagnetic flow in a circular pipe

This paper describes the flow of an electrically conducting liquid in a circular pipe when a uniform magnetic field is applied in a direction transverse to the direction of flow. It is found that the velocity profile of the liquid transforms itself from a parabola into a plateau as a magnetic field of greater strength is applied. This suggests that the induction drag is important in the central layers while the ordinary visosity is dominant near the wall of the channel. These findings support the earlier results obtained byHartmann andLazarus. It is also shown that the treatment, though elementary in nature, is quite rigorous and does not need correction for the electromagnetic shielding effect.     

Visualization of a wall shear flow

In this paper we propose a new method which might be useful to investigate the flow fields close to vaulted walls with spatial and temporal resolution. This kind of flow visualization is important in the field of biofluid mechanics, since a close relationship is assumed between flow and biological phenomena. This new method is non-invasive, and is also applicable for unsteady flows. It has been used to investigate the steady and the unsteady laminar flow in a rectangular duct, as well as the steady, laminar flow in two different U-shaped ducts, both with a backward facing step, one having a rectangular cross-section, the other a nearly elliptical cross-section. The results concurred well with analytical or numerical solutions.     

Poiseuille flow of a micropolar fluid

We use non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations to study the flow of a micropolar fluid and to test an extended Navier-Stokes theory (ENS) for such fluids. The angular streaming velocity (which is of course missing in the classical Navier-Stokes theory) and the translational streaming velocity are found to be in good agreement with the predictions of ENS theory. Besides, owing to molecular rotation, the translational streaming velocity profile is shown to deviate from the classical parabolic profile. Finally, temperature profiles calculated using three different expressions (a kinetic translational, a kinetic rotational and a recently derived configurational expression) are found to be in excellent agreement, demonstrating that the equipartition principle still holds in this non-equilibrium system. No deviation from the classical quartic temperature profile is observed.     

Peristaltic transport in a slip flow

Continuum-mechanic derivation of the entrainment of rarefied gases induced by a surface wave along walls (or peristaltic transport) in a confined parallel-plane microchannel is conducted by the perturbation method. Both no-slip and slip flow cases are investigated with the former ones matched with the previous approach by Fung and Yih. Critical reflux values due to first order slip-flow effects become trivial for the free pumping case, and decrease due to second order slip-flow effects after we compared them with no-slip cases. Received 27 August 1999 and Received in final form 10 January 2000     

Excitable media in a chaotic flow

The response to a localized perturbation of an excitable medium under stirring by chaotic advection is investigated. It is found that below a critical stirring rate a localized perturbation produces a coherent global excitation of the system. For very slow stirring, however, the coherence of the global excitation is gradually lost. We propose a simple model to describe the effect of the flow on the excitable dynamics, and explain the observed behavior as a consequence of a steady excited filament state found in the reduced problem.     

The flow induced by a jellyfish

The purpose of this study is to understand the propulsion mechanism of a jellyfish during its swimming. We observed the motion of a jellyfish (Aurelia aurita) by a motion-capture camera, and measured the vector field of flow around a jellyfish by using a PIV (Particle Image Velocimetry) measurement. A jellyfish is considered to be principally propelled by a jet at the contracting phase of its motion. If that is true, it is interesting that a jellyfish never stops traveling even at the expanding phase. We found that a vortex ring with the opposite vorticity to shed vortex ring was inside a jellyfish body in the expanding phase. We discussed a cause of an increase in thrust force and keeping constant speed in the expanding phase.     

Separated flow around a rotating gyroball

Abstract  

In baseball, a gyroball is known as a pitched ball which has its rotation axis oriented towards the catcher, i.e., in flight direction, and therefore does not create a lift force. The purpose of this study was to clarify what effect the seams of such a rotating gyroball have on the drag force acting on the ball. Two typical seam patterns, one with two and one with four seams, were selected. First, pitching experiments were carried out to capture the trajectories of various breaking balls. From the obtained trajectories the drag coefficients were estimated. Flow visualization was applied to a heated flying gyroball with the help of the schlieren technique to investigate the flow separation area. To verify the results obtained in the pitching tests, corresponding wind-tunnel experiments were also conducted with a device which allowed the ball to rotate freely in the tunnel. Drag measurements and flow visualization by fog were performed on a rotating gyroball. Both in the pitching and wind-tunnel tests, the drag coefficient of the two-seam gyroball was smaller than that of the four-seam one by 0.04 or approximately 13%. The flow visualization revealed that the flow-separated area of the two-seam gyroball was smaller due to flow reattachment made possible by a more energetic boundary layer. This observation can well explain the drag difference between two- and four-seam gyroballs.     

Brownian motion in a rotating flow

The Langevin equations for a particle of an arbitrary shape and the correlation functions for the fluctuating forces, torques, or force-torque acting on the particle in a rotating flow are derived from the semimicroscopic level of coarse graining by using fluctuating hydrodynamics. In order to obtain the solution of the Navier-Stokes Langevin equation valid over the entire flow region, use is made of the method of matched asymptotic expansions in ( _f a²/v)^1/2 1. The cases of slow and rapid rotation are analyzed. It is shown that the fluctuation-dissipation theorems hold up to the order of ( _f a²/v)^1/2 in both slow and rapid rotation, and that the diffusivity tensor depends on the angular velocity of the fluid and becomes anisotropic.     

Vortex reconnection in a swirling flow

Processes of vortex reconnection on a helical vortex, which is formed in a swirling flow in a conical diffuser, have been studied experimentally. It has been shown that reconnection can result in the formation of both an isolated vortex ring and a vortex ring linked with the main helical vortex. A number of features of vortex reconnection, including the effects of asymmetry, generation of Kelvin waves, and formation of various bridges, have been described.     

Colours in a complex fluid flow

The addition of colours to flow visualization allows a third dimension to be added to the intrinsically two-dimensional information rendered by an image.In the present work, the velocity domain and the wall heat transfer in the near field of a jet in cross-flow is experimentally investigated by making extensive use of coloured images. Tests are performed in a low turbulence wind tunnel at a jet Reynolds number equal to 8000 and for velocity ratios ranging from 1 to 5. Data are obtained with Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) and with infrared thermography applied to the steady state heated-thin-foil technique.