Strain recovery of model immiscible blends without compatibilizer

Strain recovery after the cessation of shear was studied in model immiscible blends composed of polyisobutylene drops (10–30% by weight) in a polydimethylsiloxane matrix. Blends of viscosity ratio (viscosity of the drops relative to the matrix viscosity) ranging from 0.3 to 1.7 were studied. Most of the strain recovery was attributable to interfacial tension, and could be well-described by just two parameters: the ultimate recovery and a single retardation time. Both these parameters were found to increase with the capillary number of the drops prior to cessation of shear. For blends that had reached steady shear conditions, the ultimate recovery decreased with increasing viscosity ratio, whereas the retardation time increased with increasing viscosity ratio. The retardation time was well-predicted, but the ultimate recovery was over-predicted by a linear viscoelastic model developed previously by Vinckier et al. (Rheol Acta 38:65–72, 1999).     

Coalescence of oil drops on the skeleton of a porous medium in filtering a water-oil mixture

Two mathematical models of filtration coalescence of oil drops when a water-oil mixture moves through a porous material are proposed. In the first model, coalescence is interpreted as the process of sorption, i.e., the accumulation of the oil phase on the pore surface up to a definite critical value above which the larger drops involved by a filtration flow stall. The second model assumes that the motion of the sorbed oil and the entire mixture obeys the generalized Darcy laws. Lavrent'ev Institute of Hydrodynamics, Siberian Division, Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk 630090. Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika i Tekhnicheskaya Fizika, Vol. 39, No. 6, pp. 118–124, November–December, 1998.     

Semi-automatic image analysis methodology for the segmentation of bubbles and drops in complex dispersions occurring in bioreactors

Characterization of multiphase systems occurring in fermentation processes is a time-consuming and tedious process when manual methods are used. This work describes a new semi-automatic methodology for the on-line assessment of diameters of oil drops and air bubbles occurring in a complex simulated fermentation broth. High-quality digital images were obtained from the interior of a mechanically stirred tank. These images were pre-processed to find segments of edges belonging to the objects of interest. The contours of air bubbles and oil drops were then reconstructed using an improved Hough transform algorithm which was tested in two, three and four-phase simulated fermentation model systems. The results were compared against those obtained manually by a trained observer, showing no significant statistical differences. The method was able to reduce the total processing time for the measurements of bubbles and drops in different systems by 21–50% and the manual intervention time for the segmentation procedure by 80–100%.     

Effect of solidification on drop fragmentation in liquid–liquid media

 This paper presents results of experimental and analytical investigation on molten alloy drop fragmentation in water pool. Emphasis is directed towards delineating the roles which melt to coolant heat transfer and melt solidification play in the fragmentation process. The strong impact of coolant temperature upon fragmentation process is addressed. A set of 23 drop fragmentation experiments were performed, in which 8 experiments employed a low melting point alloy, cerrobend-70 and 15 experiments using Pb–Bi eutectic alloy as drop fluid. The results show strong impact of coolant temperature on particle size distribution of the fragmented drops. A linear stability analysis of the interface between the two liquid fluids with thin crust growing between them, is performed. A modified dimensionless Aeroelastic number, for Kelvin–Helmholtz instability, is obtained and used as a criteria for fragmentation of molten drops penetrating into another liquid coolant media with lower temperature. The nondimensionalized mean diameter of the fragmented particles is correlated with the Aeroelastic number. Received on 26 March 2000     

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.     

Effects of the weak/micro-discontinuity of interface on the fracture behavior of a functionally graded coating with an inclined crack

The mechanical model was established for the anti-plane fracture problem of a functionally graded coating–substrate system with a coating crack inclined to the weak/micro-discontinuous interface. The Cauchy singular integral equation for the crack was derived using Fourier integral transform, and the Lobatto–Chebyshev collocation method put up by Erdogan and Gupta was used to get its numerical solution. Finally, the effects of the weak/micro-discontinuity of the interface on SIFs were analyzed, the “affected regions” corresponding to the two crack tips have been obtained and their engineering significance was discussed. It was indicated that, for the crack tip in the corresponding “affected region”, to reduce the weak-discontinuity of the interface and to make the interface micro-discontinuous are the two effective ways to reduce the SIF, and the latter way always has more remarkable SIF-reduction effect. For the crack tip outside the “affected region”, its SIF is mainly influenced by material stiffness, and to prevent such a tip from growing toward the interface “softer coating and stiffer substrate” is a more advantageous combination than “stiffer coating and softer substrate”.     

Rheology of immiscible blends with particle-induced drop clusters

We consider the effects of 2.7-μm-diameter hydrophobic silica particles added to droplet–matrix blends of polyethylene oxide (PEO) and polyisobutylene (PIB). The particles adsorb on the surface of the PEO drops but protrude considerably into the PIB phase. Hence, it is possible for a single particle to adsorb onto two PEO drops simultaneously. Such particles are called “bridging” particles, and they the glue drops into noncoalescing clusters. Flow visualization studies show that shearing the sample promotes bridging-induced clustering of drops and that the structure of the clusters depends on the shear rate. Rheologically, the most significant consequence of bridging-induced drop clustering appears to be a plateau in G′ at low frequencies characteristic of gel-like behavior. The gel-like behavior develops fully after shearing the sample, and the kinetics of gel formation are faster with increasing shear stress or increasing drop volume fraction. The gel-like behavior suggests that the bridging-induced drop clusters form a weak network. Apart from particle bridging, optical microscopy also reveals that particles can organize into a hexagonal lattice on the drops’ surfaces, a phenomenon that has only been noted in aqueous systems previously. Finally, rheology and flow visualization both suggest that particles promote coalescence of drops. This is surprising in light of much past research that shows that particles that are preferentially wetted by the continuous phase generally hinder coalescence in droplet–matrix systems.     

Cahn–Hilliard/Navier–Stokes Model for the Simulation of Three-Phase Flows

In this article, we describe some aspects of the diffuse interface modelling of incompressible flows, composed of three immiscible components, without phase change. In the diffuse interface methods, system evolution is driven by the minimisation of a free energy. The originality of our approach, derived from the Cahn–Hilliard model, comes from the particular form of energy we proposed in Boyer and Lapuerta (M2AN Math Model Numer Anal, 40:653–987,2006), which, among other interesting properties, ensures consistency with the two-phase model. The modelling of three-phase flows is further completed by coupling the Cahn–Hilliard system and the Navier–Stokes equations where surface tensions are taken into account through volume capillary forces. These equations are discretized in time and space paying attention to the fact that most of the main properties of the original model (volume conservation and energy estimate) have to be maintained at the discrete level. An adaptive refinement method is finally used to obtain an accurate resolution of very thin moving internal layers, while limiting the total number of cells in the grids all along the simulation. Different numerical results are given, from the validation case of the lens spreading between two phases (contact angles and pressure jumps), to the study of mass transfer through a liquid/liquid interface crossed by a single rising gas bubble. The numerical applications are performed with large ratio between densities and viscosities and three different surface tensions.     

Convective mass transfer across fluid interfaces in straight angular pores

Steady convective mass transfer to or from fluid interfaces in pores of angular cross-section is theoretically investigated. This situation is relevant to a variety of mass transport process in porous media, including the fate of residual non-aqueous phase liquid ganglia and gas bubbles. The model incorporates the essential physics of capillarity and solute mass transfer by convection and diffusion in corner fluid filaments. The geometry of the corner filaments, characterized by the fluid–fluid contact angle, the corner half-angle and the interface meniscus curvature, is accounted for. Boundary conditions of zero surface shear (‘perfect-slip’) and infinite surface shear (‘no-slip’) at the fluid–fluid interface are considered. The governing equations for laminar flow within the corner filament and convective diffusion to or from the fluid–fluid interface are solved using finite-element methods. Flow computations are verified by comparing the dimensionless resistance factor and hydraulic conductance of corner filaments against recent numerical solutions by Patzek and Kristensen (J. Colloid Interface Sci 236, 305–317 2001). Novel results are obtained for the average effluent concentration as a function of flow geometry and pore-scale Peclet number. These results are correlated to a characteristic corner length and local pore-scale Peclet number using empirical equations appropriate for implementation in pore network models. Finally, a previously published “2D-slit” approximation to the problem at hand is checked and found to be in considerable error.     

Turbulence structure in the immediate vicinity of the shear-free air–water interface induced by a deeply submerged jet

 A PIV based technique is developed to perform flow measurements in the vicinity of the air–water interface of a submerged confined jet. Both the interface movement and the velocity field immediately beneath it are measured simultaneously. A detailed turbulence structure in the surface influence region is thus obtained. Flow parameters evaluated without and w.r.t. the interface are quantified and compared against previous works obtained using the conventional Eulerian-based instrumentation which do not account for the interface fluctuation, and checked against analytical model characterising the turbulence close to a assumed flat air–water interface. Received: 15 March 1998/Accepted: 19 October 1998     

On the Existence of Weak Solutions to the Steady Compressible Navier–Stokes Equations in Domains with Conical Outlets

We investigate the steady compressible Navier–Stokes system of equations in the isentropic regime in a domain with several conical outlets and with prescribed pressure drops. Existence of weak solutions is proved and estimate of these solutions with respect to the pressure drops is derived under the hypothesis γ > 3 where γ is the adiabatic constant.     

Impact of liquid drops on a rough surface comprising microgrooves

Impact of water drops on a stainless steel surface comprising rectangular shaped parallel grooves is studied experimentally. Geometric parameters of the surface groove structure such as groove depth, groove width and solid pillar width separating any two successive grooves were kept at 7.5, 136 and 66 μm, respectively. The study was confined to the impact of drops in inertia dominated flow regime with Weber number in the range 15–257. Experimental results of drop impact process obtained for the grooved surface were compared with those obtained for a smooth surface to elucidate the influence of surface grooves on the impact process. The grooves definitely influence both spreading and receding processes of impacting liquid drops. A more striking observation from this study is that the receding process of impacting liquid drops is dramatically changed by the groove structure for all droplet Weber number.     

Viscoelasticity in inkjet printing

We investigate the effects of viscoelasticity on drop generation in inkjet printing. In drop-on-demand printing, individual ink ‘drops’ are ejected from a nozzle by imposed pressure pulses. Upon exiting the nozzle, the shape of each ‘drop’ is that of a nearly spherical bead with a long thin trailing ligament. This ligament subsequently breaks up under the Rayleigh instability, typically into several small droplets (known as satellite drops). These satellite drops can create unwanted splash on the target substrate and a reduction in printing quality. Satellite drops can potentially be eliminated by adding polymer to the ink; elastic stresses can act to contract the trailing ligament into the main drop before capillary breakup occurs. However, elasticity can also reduce the drop velocity and can delay or even prevent the break-off of the drop from the ink reservoir within the nozzle. To achieve optimal drop shape and speed, non-Newtonian parameters such as the polymer concentration and molecular weight must be chosen correctly. We explore this parameter space via numerical simulations, using the Lagrangian–Eulerian finite-element method of Harlen et al. (J Non-Newtonian Fluid Mech 60:81–104, 1995). Results are compared with experimental observations taken from real printheads.     

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     

Experimental investigation of the interaction between an electrically charged liquid-drop dispersed phase and a turbulent air-steam jet

The interaction of an electrically charged liquid-drop dispersed phase with a turbulent air-steam jet in a "water drop generator (capillary)-jettarget" system is investigated. The experimental conditions were as follows: volume flow of water through the capillary 0.01 cm³/s. capillary inside diameter 0.8 mm, electric potential applied to the capillary 20 kV. When the electric field is absent, condensation does not develop in the jet despite the existence of oversaturation zones. Two regimes of interaction between the charged dispersed phase and the jet are detected. The first regime (for ϕ<8 kV) is characterized by the regular launching of fairly large charged drops (0.5<r<2 mm) from the capillary and the absence of condensation in thejet. As the potential ϕ increases, the drop size decreases, whereas the drop charge increases. This regime made it possible to model the motion of individual charged clusters of different charge and size in aircraft engine jets. The second regime (ϕ>8 kV) is characterized by the irregular launching of drops from the capillary, drop dispersion with respect to size, a sharp increase in the target current, and the sudden appearance of condensation in the air-steam jet. The possible electrohydrodynamic and heterophase processes are qualitatively analyzed. Moscow, e-mail: vatazhin@ciam.ru.likhter@ciam.ru. Translated from Izvestiya Rossiiskoi Akademii Nauk, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 4, pp. 102–114, July–August, 2000. The work received financial support from the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (project No. 99-01-00983).     

Experimental investigation of mixed convection in a rectangular duct with a heated plate in the middle of cross section

The flow and heat transfer in an inclined and horizontal rectangular duct with a heated plate longitudinally mounted in the middle of cross section was experimentally investigated. The heated plate and rectangular duct were both made of highly conductive materials, and the heated plate was subjected to a uniform heat flux. The heat transfer processes through the test section were under various operating conditions: Pr ≈ 0.7, inclination angle ϕ = −60° to +60°, Reynolds number Re = 334–1,911, Grashof number Gr = 5.26 × 10²–5.78 × 10⁶. The experimental results showed that the average Nusselt number in the entrance region was 1.6–2 times as large as that in the fully developed region. The average Nusselt numbers and pressure drops increased with the Reynolds number. The average Nusselt numbers and pressure drops decreased with an increase in the inclination angle from −60° to +60° when the Reynolds number was less than 1,500. But when the Reynolds number increased to over about 1,800, the heat transfer coefficients and pressure drops were independent of inclination angles.     

Natural convection in composite systems with phase change materials

In this study, we carried out a numerical simulation of transient heat transfer in a composite passive system consisting of air–phase change material–air, arranged as a rectangular enclosure. The vertical boundaries of the enclosure are isothermal and the horizontal ones adiabatic. The enthalpy formulation with a fixed grid is used to study the process of phase change with liquid–solid interface zone controlled by natural convection. The flow in this zone is simulated by a model based on the Darcy porous medium. The numerical solution of the mathematical model is done using finite difference–control volume algorithm. The influence of the geometrical and thermal parameters is studied. It is found that subcooling coefficient is the most important parameter influencing heat transfer, and for a given subcooling, there is an optimum phase change partition thickness.     

Numerical simulation of polyhedral crystal growth based on a mathematical model arising from non–local thermomechanics

In this work we present some results of the numerical simulation of the growth of a crystal from its melt, taking into account faceting. The simulation is based on a numerical solution of a three–dimensional generalized Stefan problem. That problem arises from a non–local thermomechanical theory applied to a continuous system with an interface and embodies ideas from the dislocation theory of crystal growth. In the model, the crystal surface is an isotherm and the growth velocity of a crystal face depends on the velocities of the other faces and on the whole crystal configuration as well as on the temperature gradient. A front fixing formulation of the model is considered. This is a conservative form of the Isotherm Migration Method [6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11] in spherical coordinates. The numerical solution is based on an explicit finite difference discretization of the resulting non–linear equations. We develop a theoretical analysis of the interface equations that drive the crystal face motion. Numerical results, showing evolution of complex crystals with configuration changing during the growth, are in accord with experimental results. Furthermore, numerical experiments offer useful information on the influence of certain parameters in the model on the growth process. Received: March 21, 1996