Simulation of mass transfer in liquid/liquid slug flow

The mass transport for a liquid/liquid extraction system is examined using a numerical concept following the idea of the interface-tracking method. Separate, body-fitted, static computational domains are arranged around an imported steady-state interface topology. The domains are coupled at the free interface to capture the behaviour of the conjugated system. The steady-state hydrodynamics are the basis for the simulation of the transient mass transport, which is calculated as a passive scalar concentration or one-way coupling. The investigation is restricted to the extraction from the disperse to the continuous phase. Simulation results for an extraction from the disperse to the continuous phase show that most of the mass is transferred through the wall-film region into the continuous phase. (© 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Heat and mass transfer in liquid desiccant air-conditioning process at low flow conditions

This paper investigates the transient heat and mass transfer in liquid desiccant air-conditioning process at low flow conditions. Using local volumetric average approach, one-dimensional non-equilibrium heat and mass transfer models are developed to describe the humid air and liquid desiccant interaction at counter flow configuration. Using triethylene glycol solution as desiccant, some experimental studies are completed. Experimental results are used to justify the numerical models. Numerical results are then obtained to demonstrate process characteristics. The models include a transient desiccant flow model for initial liquid desiccant building-up process, empirical wetted specific surface ratio for mass transfer, and heat and mass transfer coefficients. The objective of this research is to develop a process analytical tool for liquid desiccant air-conditioner design.     

Heat and mass transfer in annular liquid jets: II. g-jitter

The effects of g-jitter on heat and mass transfer in underpressurized, annular liquid jets are analyzed numerically as a function of the amplitude and frequency of the gravitational modulation by means of a mapping technique that transforms the time-dependent geometry of these jets into a unit square and a conservative finite difference method. It is shown that the pressure coefficient, gas concentration at the jet's inner interface, heat fluxes at the jet's inner and outer interfaces and interfacial temperature are periodic functions of time whose amplitudes increase as the amplitude of the g-jitter is increased, but decrease as the jitter frequency is increased. The pressure coefficient is almost in phase with the heat flux at the jet's outer interface, and out of phase with the mass transfer rate at the jet's inner interface. It is also shown that the temperature field adapts itself rapidly to the imposed gravity modulation, and thermal equilibrium is reached quickly. However, mass transfer phenomena are very slow and require a very long time to become periodic.     

Variational problems with free interfaces

Summary A large class of problems arise in the material sciences involving free interfaces. To establish the existence and regularity (including the regularity of free interfaces) of solutions has been an important and interesting issue. Here we were able to do so in a model case accounted in optimal designs.The method developed in this paper is rather general and may be useful for many other related problems.     

Multiple liquid bridges with non-smooth interfaces

We consider a coexistence of two axisymmetric liquid bridges LB_i and LB_m of two immiscible liquids i and m which are immersed in a third liquid (or gas) e and trapped between two smooth solid bodies with axisymmetric surfaces S₁, S₂ and free contact lines. Evolution of liquid bridges allows two different configurations of LB_i and LB_m with multiple (five or three) interfaces of non-smooth shape. We formulate a variational problem with volume constraints and present its governing equations supplemented by boundary conditions. We find a universal relationship between curvature of the interfaces and discuss the Neumann triangle relations at the singular curve where all liquids meet together.     

Heat and mass transfer in annular liquid jets: I. Formulation

Heat and mass transfer phenomena in annular liquid jets are analyzed at high Reynolds numbers by means of a model derived from the governing equations that takes into account the effects of surface tension and boundary conditions at the gas–liquid interfaces and the large differences between the thermal and mass diffusivities, densities, dynamic viscosities, and thermal conductivities between gases and liquids. The model clearly illustrates the stiffness in both space and time associated with the concentration, linear momentum and energy boundary layers, and the initial cooling of the gases enclosed by the jet when, starting from a steady state where gases are injected into the volume enclosed by the jet at a rate equal to the heat and mass absorption rates by the liquid, gas injection is stopped. It is shown that, owing to the non-linear integrodifferential coupling between the fluid dynamics and heat and mass transfer processes, the pressure of the gases enclosed by the jet may vary in either a monotonic or an oscillatory manner depending on the large number of non-dimensional parameters that govern the heat and mass transfer phenomena. For the underpressurized jets considered here, it is shown that thermal equilibrium is achieved at a much faster rate than that associated with mass transfer, double diffusive phenomena in the liquid may occur, and the mass and volume of the gases enclosed by the jet may increase or decrease as functions of time until a steady equilibrium condition is reached.     

Computational study of mass transfer at surfaces structured with reactive nanocones

In this study, the mass transfer on a structured surface composed of a lattice of conical nanoelectrodes is modelled, and a variety of geometrical setups are simulated. The optimal size and distance between cones are sought in terms of dimensionless groups. In the calculations, we look at three different definitions of current density based on three different reference surfaces: the total surface, the surface of the cones, and the local infinitesimal area. Optimisation based on different definitions results in different optimal configurations. This implies that, in designing the structured surface, a choice must be made between optimising the electrode at the nanoscale or at the macroscale based on the actual cost of manufacturing and the return expected by running the electrochemical system.     

Crack propagation at bi-material interfaces

There is currently a gap in the understanding of how crack propagation by intergranular versus transgranular fracture varies with changes in material properties and grain size. Much of the prior work in this area has been in terms of LEFM and criterion based on toughness alone. More recent work has shown that a toughness-and-strength approach is required. In this study a strength-and-energy approach is applied to intergranular-versus-transgranular fracture through a cohesive-zone approach implemented in a finite element model. Results show that intergranular fracture becomes more likely, and has an increasing shear component, as grain toughness increases and grain stiffness and grain size decrease. These results can help guide material development. (© 2015 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Analysis of mass transfer in thin liquid films on spinning disks using the integral method

The present work applies the integral method to analyze the momentum and mass transfer in thin liquid films on spinning disks, with the aim to describe the complex process of wet chemical etching of rotating silicon wafers The obtained results capture very well the essential features of the etching activity on the disk, and are in good agreement with experimental results. (© 2011 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Numerical study of transient free convective mass transfer in a Walters-B viscoelastic flow with wall suction

A transient model for the free convective, nonlinear, steady, laminar flow and mass transfer in a viscoelastic fluid from a vertical porous plate is presented. The Walters-B liquid model is employed which introduces supplementary terms into the momentum conservation equation. The transformed conservation equations are solved using the finite difference method (FDM). The influence of viscoelasticity parameter (Γ), species Grashof number (Gc), Schmidt number (Sc), distance (Y) and time (t) on the velocity (U) and also concentration distribution (C) is studied graphically. Velocity is found to increase with a rise in viscoelasticity parameter (Γ) with both time and distances close to the plate surface. An increase in Schmidt number is observed to significantly decrease both velocity and concentration in time and also with separation from the plate. Increasing species Grashof number boosts the flow velocity through all time and causes a significant rise primarily near the plate surface. The study has applications in polymer materials processing.     

Analytical approach to heat and mass transfer in MHD free convection from amoving permeable vertical surface

An analytical study is performed on heat and mass transfer in MHD‐free convection from a moving permeable vertical surface and the results are compared with previous works on this phenomenon to test the validity. The coupled equations of boundary layer are transformed from their non‐linear form to ordinary form using similarity transformation and then are solved by a newly developed method, homotopy analysis method. Having different base functions, homotopy analysis method provides us with great freedom in choosing the solution of a nonlinear problem. Solving the boundry layer equations, the effects of different parameters such as magnetic field strength parameter (M), Prandtl number (Pr), Schmidt number (Sc), buoyancy ratio and suction/blowing parameter (f_w) on velocity, temperature, and concentration profiles are taken into consideration. Obtained results show that increment of magnetic field strength parameter (M) leads to decrease in velocity profile. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Hamiltonian long‐wave expansions for free surfaces and interfaces

The theory of internal waves between two bodies of immiscible fluid is important both for its interest to ocean engineering and as a source of numerous interesting mathematical model equations that exhibit nonlinearity and dispersion. In this paper we derive a Hamiltonian formulation of the problem of a dynamic free interface (with rigid lid upper boundary conditions), and of a free surface and a free interface, this latter situation occurring more commonly in experiment and in nature. From the formulation, we develop a Hamiltonian perturbation theory for the long‐wave limits, and we carry out a systematic analysis of the principal long‐wave scaling regimes. This analysis provides a uniform treatment of the classical works of Peters and Stoker (28), Benjamin (3, 4), Ono (26), and many others. Our considerations include the Boussinesq and Korteweg–de Vries (KdV) regimes over finite‐depth fluids, the Benjamin‐Ono regimes in the situation in which one fluid layer is infinitely deep, and the intermediate long‐wave regimes. In addition, we describe a novel class of scaling regimes of the problem, in which the amplitude of the interface disturbance is of the same order as the mean fluid depth, and the characteristic small parameter corresponds to the slope of the interface. Our principal results are that we highlight the discrepancies between the case of rigid lid and of free surface upper boundary conditions, which in some circumstances can be significant. Motivated by the recent results of Choi and Camassa (6, 7), we also derive novel systems of nonlinear dispersive long‐wave equations in the large‐amplitude, small‐slope regime. Our formulation of the dynamical free‐surface, free‐interface problem is shown to be very effective for perturbation calculations; in addition, it holds promise as a basis for numerical simulations. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Computer-aided computation of subsurface mass transfer

The paper describes the functional and system software of the FSP-OS application package for problems of subsurface hydromechanics. The FSP-OS software is universal for the class of problems modeled by the same differential equations as mass transfer in porous media. The FSP-OS utilities are intended for water economists and for application and system programmers.Translated from Vychislitel'naya i Prikladnaya Matematika, No. 55, pp. 80–87, 1985.     

Heat and mass transfer in MHD free convection from a moving permeable vertical surface by a perturbation technique

Numerical results are presented for heat and mass transfer effect on hydromagnetic flow of a moving permeable vertical surface. An analysis is performed to study the momentum, heat and mass transfer characteristics of MHD natural convection flow over a moving permeable surface. The surface is maintained at linear temperature and concentration variations. The non-linear coupled boundary layer equations were transformed and the resulting ordinary differential equations were solved by perturbation technique [Aziz A, Na TY. Perturbation methods in heat transfer. Berlin: Springer-Verlag; 1984. p. 1–184; Kennet Cramer R, Shih-I Pai. Magneto fluid dynamics for engineers and applied physicists 1973;166–7]. The solution is found to be dependent on several governing parameter, including the magnetic field strength parameter, Prandtl number, Schmidt number, buoyancy ratio and suction/blowing parameter, a parametric study of all the governing parameters is carried out and representative results are illustrated to reveal a typical tendency of the solutions. Numerical results for the dimensionless velocity profiles, the temperature profiles, the concentration profiles, the local friction coefficient and the local Nusselt number are presented for various combinations of parameters.     

Integral analysis of the flow dynamics and mass transfer in a wavy liquid film on a spinning disk

In the present work the complex process of diffusion-controlled wet chemical etching of a rotating silicon wafer is analyzed in the framework of an unsteady integral boundary layer approximation. The obtained results reproduce the waviness and the associated enhancement of the mass transfer in the wavy region, and are in good agreement with experimental findings. (© 2012 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Laminar compressible boundary layer flow at a three-dimensional stagnation point with vectored mass transfer

The effect of surface mass transfer velocities having normal, principal and transverse direction components (‘vectored’ suction and injection) on the steady, laminar, compressible boundary layer at a three-dimensional stagnation point has been investigated both for nodal and saddle points of attachment. The similarity solutions of the boundary layer equations were obtained numerically by the method of parametric differentiation. The principal and transverse direction surface mass transfer velocities significantly affect the skin friction (both in the principal and transverse directions) and the heat transfer. Also the inadequacy of assuming a linear viscosity-temperature relation at low-wall temperatures is shown.     

Thermal radiation effects on magnetohydrodynamic free convection heat and mass transfer from a sphere in a variable porosity regime

A mathematical model is presented for multiphysical transport of an optically-dense, electrically-conducting fluid along a permeable isothermal sphere embedded in a variable-porosity medium. A constant, static, magnetic field is applied transverse to the cylinder surface. The non-Darcy effects are simulated via second order Forchheimer drag force term in the momentum boundary layer equation. The surface of the sphere is maintained at a constant temperature and concentration and is permeable, i.e. transpiration into and from the boundary layer regime is possible. The boundary layer conservation equations, which are parabolic in nature, are normalized into non-similar form and then solved numerically with the well-tested, efficient, implicit, stable Keller-box finite difference scheme. Increasing porosity (ε) is found to elevate velocities, i.e. accelerate the flow but decrease temperatures, i.e. cool the boundary layer regime. Increasing Forchheimer inertial drag parameter (Λ) retards the flow considerably but enhances temperatures. Increasing Darcy number accelerates the flow due to a corresponding rise in permeability of the regime and concomitant decrease in Darcian impedance. Thermal radiation is seen to reduce both velocity and temperature in the boundary layer. Local Nusselt number is also found to be enhanced with increasing both porosity and radiation parameters.     

Steady boundary layer flow and reactive mass transfer past an exponentially stretching surface in an exponentially moving free stream

An analysis is made to study the steady two-dimensional boundary layer flow and reactive mass transfer past an exponentially stretching sheet in an exponentially moving free stream. The reaction rate of solute and the wall concentration distribution are taken variable. The governing equations are transformed and then solved numerically. The study reveals that the momentum boundary layer thickness is considerably smaller than that of stagnation point flow over stretching sheet. Due to increase of Schmidt number and reaction rate parameter the mass transfer considerably enhances. Importantly, for solute distribution, in addition to mass transfer, mass absorption occurs in certain situations.