Rarefied Pure Gas Transport in Non-isothermal Porous Media: Validation and Tests of the Model

Viscous flow, effusion, and thermal transpiration are the main gas transport modalities for a rarefied gas in a macro-porous medium. They have been well quantified only in the case of simple geometries. This paper presents a numerical method based on the homogenization of kinetic equations producing effective transport properties (permeability, Knudsen diffusivity, thermal transpiration ratio) in any porous medium sample, as described, e.g. by a digitized 3D image. The homogenization procedure—neglecting the effect of gas density gradients on heat transfer through the solid—leads to closure problems in for the obtention of effective properties; they are then simplified using a Galerkin method based on a 21-element basis set. The kinetic equations are then discretized in space with a finite- volume scheme. The method is validated against experimental data in the case of a closed test tube. It shows to be coherent with past approaches of thermal transpiration. Then, it is applied to several 3D images of increasing complexity. Another validation is brought by comparison with other distinct numerical approaches for the evaluation of the Darcian permeability tensor and of the Knudsen diffusion tensor. Results show that thermal transpiration has to be described by an effective transport tensor which is distinct from the other tensors.     

Forced convection gaseous slip flow in circular porous micro-channels

Laminar forced convection of gaseous slip flow in a circular micro-channel filled with porous media under local thermal equilibrium condition is studied numerically using the finite difference technique. Hydrodynamically fully developed flow is considered and the Darcy–Brinkman–Forchheimer model is used to model the flow inside the porous domain. The present study reports the effect of several operating parameters (Knudsen number (Kn), Darcy number (Da), Forchhiemer number (Γ), and modified Reynolds number ) on the velocity slip and temperature jump at the wall. Results are given in terms of the velocity distribution, temperature distribution, skin friction , and the Nusselt number (Nu). It is found that the skin friction is increased by (1) decreasing Knudsen number, (2) increasing Darcy number, and (3) decreasing Forchheimer number. Heat transfer is found to (1) decrease as the Knudsen number, or Forchheimer number increase, (2) increase as the Peclet number or Darcy number increase.     

Multiscale Young Measures in almost Periodic Homogenization and Applications

We prove the existence of multiscale Young measures associated with almost periodic homogenization. We give applications of this tool in the homogenization of nonlinear partial differential equations with an almost periodic structure, such as scalar conservation laws, nonlinear transport equations, Hamilton–Jacobi equations and fully nonlinear elliptic equations. Motivated by the application in nonlinear transport equations, we also prove basic results on flows generated by Lipschitz almost periodic vector fields, which are of interest in their own. In our analysis, an important role is played by the so-called Bohr compactification of ; this is a natural parameter space for the Young measures. Our homogenization results provide also the asymptotic behavior for the whole set of -translates of the solutions, which is in the spirit of recent studies on the homogenization of stationary ergodic processes.     

Jump Condition for Diffusive and Convective Mass Transfer Between a Porous Medium and a Fluid Involving Adsorption and Chemical Reaction

In this paper, mass transfer at the fluid–porous medium boundaries is studied. The problem considers both diffusive and convective transport, along with adsorption and reaction effects in the porous medium. The result is a mass flux jump condition that is expressed in terms of effective transport coefficients. Such coefficients (a total dispersion tensor and effective reaction and adsorption coefficients) may be computed from the solution of the corresponding closure problem here stated and solved as a function of the Péclet number (Pe), the porosity and a local Thiele modulus. For the case of negligible convective transport (i.e., ), the closure problem reduces to the one recently solved by the authors for diffusion and reaction between a fluid and a microporous medium.     

Explicit Effective Constants for an Inhomogeneous Porothermoelastic Medium

An arbitrary anisotropic micro-inhomogeneous (composite) poroelastic medium is considered, containing a random set of ellipsoidal inhomogeneities with different poroelastic characteristics. The properties of these constituents are described by the linear porothermoelastic theory of Biot. One of the self-consistent schemes named effective field method is used to develop explicit expressions for the effective porothermoelastic constants (tensor of the frame elastic compliances , tensor of the generalized Skempton’s coefficients , tensor of thermal expansion coefficients , Biot’s constants , and the heat capacity at constant stress for the static porothermoelastic theory. It is shown that for two components composite porous material these expressions are interconnected and can be expressed only via the components of tensor . Some special cases are considered for the isotropic main material (matrix).     

Rarefied gas flow in a channel with specular‐diffuse boundary conditions for arbitrary knudsen numbers. Onsager relations

The problem of a rarefied gas flow in a channel for arbitrary Knudsen numbers has been solved analytically for the first time in the case where the scattering of gas molecules on the channel walls can be described by speculardiffuse boundary conditions. The mean free path of gas molecules is assumed to be constant, i.e., the collision frequency is proportional to molecular velocity. The gas moves under the action of a streamwise temperature gradient. Exact relations for heat and mass fluxes and for meanmass velocity are obtained. It is shown that the Onsager relations are valid within the entire range of Knudsen numbers in the problem of heat and mass transfer in a channel. The dependence of heat and mass fluxes on the Knudsen number (channel thickness) is analyzed. A comparison with available results is performed.     

Two-Phase Inertial Flow in Homogeneous Porous Media: A Theoretical Derivation of a Macroscopic Model

The purpose of this article is to derive a macroscopic model for a certain class of inertial two-phase, incompressible, Newtonian fluid flow through homogenous porous media. Starting from the continuity and Navier–Stokes equations in each phase β and γ, the method of volume averaging is employed subjected to constraints that are explicitly provided to obtain the macroscopic mass and momentum balance equations. These constraints are on the length- and time-scales, as well as, on some quantities involving capillary, Weber and Reynolds numbers that define the class of two-phase flow under consideration. The resulting macroscopic momentum equation relates the phase-averaged pressure gradient to the filtration or Darcy velocity in a coupled nonlinear form explicitly given by

The Semiclassical Regime for Ablation Front Models

In this paper, we study two problems appearing in two-dimensional fluid mechanics in a constant gravity field . These two problems—the Rayleigh convection problem and the ablation front problem—generalize the Rayleigh–Taylor model in compressible flows. The analysis of their stability relies on semiclassical techniques for the linearized system around a reference solution. We consider normal modes which are approximate solutions corresponding to large wave numbers associated with , and we discuss the existence or the non-existence of such normal modes. The results depend on the value of the dimensionless growth rate Γ compared with two relevant mathematical parameters, namely σ _p (p standing for the model) and some effective semiclassical parameter h.     

Random Kick-Forced 3D Navier–Stokes Equations in a Thin Domain

We consider the Navier–Stokes equations in the thin 3D domain , where is a two-dimensional torus. The equation is perturbed by a non-degenerate random kick force. We establish that, firstly, when ε ≪ 1, the equation has a unique stationary measure and, secondly, after averaging in the thin direction this measure converges (as ε → 0) to a unique stationary measure for the Navier–Stokes equation on . Thus, the 2D Navier–Stokes equations on surfaces describe asymptotic in time, and limiting in ε, statistical properties of 3D solutions in thin 3D domains.     

Calculation of the Slip Velocity of a Rarefied Gas on a Solid Spherical Surface with Allowance for Accommodation Coefficients

The slip velocity of a rarefied gas with inhomogeneous temperature and mass velocity on a solid spherical surface is calculated with the use of a twomoment boundary condition in the linear approximation in terms of the Knudsen number. The dependence of the slip velocity on accommodation coefficients of the two first moments of the distribution function is studied.     

Variable permeability effect on convection in binary mixtures saturating a porous layer

The Darcy Model with the Boussinesq approximation is used to study natural convection in a shallow porous layer, with variable permeability, filled with a binary fluid. The permeability of the medium is assumed to vary exponentially with the depth of the layer. The two horizontal walls of the cavity are subject to constant fluxes of heat and solute while the two vertical ones are impermeable and adiabatic. The governing parameters for the problem are the thermal Rayleigh number, R _T, the Lewis number, Le, the buoyancy ratio, φ, the aspect ratio of the cavity, A, the normalized porosity, ε, the variable permeability constant, c, and parameter a defining double-diffusive convection (a = 0) or Soret induced convection (a = 1). For convection in an infinite layer, an analytical solution of the steady form of the governing equations is obtained on the basis of the parallel flow approximation. The onset of supercritical convection, or subcritical, convection are predicted by the present theory. A linear stability analysis of the parallel flow model is conducted and the critical Rayleigh number for the onset of Hopf’s bifurcation is predicted numerically. Numerical solutions of the full governing equations are found to be in excellent agreement with the analytical predictions.     

Natural Convection Inside an Inclined Wavy Enclosure Filled with a Porous Medium

The Darcy flow model with the Boussinesq approximation is used to investigate numerically the natural convection inside an inclined wavy cavity filled with a porous medium. Finite Element Method is used to discretize the governing differential equations with non-staggered variable arrangement. Results are presented for and , where ϕ, Ra, A and λ correspond to the cavity inclination angle, Rayleigh number, aspect ratio and surface waviness parameter, respectively. Stream and isotherm lines representing the corresponding flow and thermal fields, and local and average Nusselt numbers distribution expressing the rate of heat transfer are determined and shown on graphs and tables. A good agreement is observed between the present results and those known from the open literature. The flow and thermal structures found to be highly dependent on surface waviness for inclination angles less than 45°, especially for high Rayleigh numbers.     

Uniform Convergence for Approximate Traveling Waves in Linear Reaction–Diffusion–Hyperbolic Systems

In this paper we study linear reaction–hyperbolic systems of the form , (i = 1, 2, ..., n) for x > 0, t > 0 coupled to a diffusion equation for p ₀ = p ₀(x, y, θ, t) with “near-equilibrium” initial and boundary data. This problem arises in a model of transport of neurofilaments in axons. The matrix (k _ij ) is assumed to have a unique null vector with positive components summed to 1 and the v _j are arbitrary velocities such that . We prove that as the solution converges to a traveling wave with velocity v and a spreading front, and that the convergence rate in the uniform norm is , for any small positive α.     

Thermal characteristics in the annulus with an inner rotating rib-roughness cylinder

This work experimentally investigates the heat transfer characteristics in the annulus with an inner rotating rib-roughness cylinder, whose flow and thermal behaviors are associated with Taylor number (Ta) and centrifugal buoyancy parameter (Gr _Ω/Ta). The operating range of Ta is from 4.90 × 10² to 5.80 × 10⁵, while the surface of the inner cylinder is heated up with several constant heat fluxes (279, 425 and 597 W/m²) to obtain various values of Gr _Ω/Ta. Besides, three modes of the inner cylinder without/with longitudinal ribs are considered. The end of the annular channel is connected to a side chamber to fit practical applications (such as in the rotary blade coupling of a four-wheel-drive vehicle). The experimental results show that the average Nusselt number was almost constant at low Ta, but increased rapidly with Ta when Ta exceeded some critical value (3,000–5,200 for present study). Additionally, the Gr _Ω/Ta effect on the heat transfer was negligible herein. Furthermore, by comparing with the inner cylinder without longitudinal ribs, stalling ribs on the inner cylinder increases the transport of heat by a factor of 1.22 at 10⁵ < Ta < 10⁶, and embedding cavities into the ribs increases the transport of heat by a factor of 1.16 at 10⁵ < Ta < 10⁶. Finally, the relationships between the and the Ta for various modes of test sections were proposed.     

Behaviour of the Fokker–Planck–Boltzmann equation near a Maxwellian

We consider the initial value problem for the Fokker–Planck–Boltzmann equation namely, viewed as the Boltzmann equation with an additional diffusion term in velocity space to describe, for instance, the transport in thermal baths of binary elastic collisional particles. The strong solution for initial data near an absolute Maxwellian is proved to exist globally in time and tends asymptotically in the -norm to another time dependent self-similar Maxwellian in large time. The effect of the diffusion in phase space is investigated. It produces a diffusion process in velocity space and results in a heating process on the macroscopic fluid-dynamic observable, accelerating the convergence of solutions to the equilibrium of a self-similar Maxwellian at a faster time-decay rate than the Boltzmann equation. This phenomena is also observed for homogeneous Fokker–Planck–Boltzmann equations, where the time-decay rate in the -norm to the self-similar Maxwellian is proved to be faster than exponential. Moreover, the Fokker–Planck–Boltzmann equation is shown to converge (under an appropriate scaling) strongly to the Boltzmann equation in the process of the zero diffusion limit.     

Transfer model and kinetic characteristics of $${\rm NH}_{4}^{+}$$ –K+ ion exchange on K-zeolite

Based on the mass transfer theory, a new mass transfer model of ion-exchange process on zeolite under liquid film diffusion control is established, and the kinetic curves and the mass transfer coefficients of –K⁺ ion-exchange under different conditions were systemically determined using the shallow-bed experimental method. The results showed that the –K⁺ ion-exchange rates and transfer coefficients are directly proportional to solution flow rate and temperature, and inversely proportional to solution viscosity and the size of zeolite granules. It also showed that the transfer coefficient is not influenced by the ion concentrations. For a large ranges of operational conditions including temperatures (10 − 75°C), flow rates (0.031 m s⁻¹ −0.26 m s⁻¹), liquid viscosities (1.002 × 10⁻³ N s m⁻² − 4.44 × 10⁻³ N s m⁻²), and zeolite granular sizes (0.2 − 1.45 mm), the average mass transfer coefficients calculated by the model agree with the experimental results very well.     

FPIV study of gas entrainment by a hollow cone spray submitted to variable density

The gas entrainment in a hollow cone spray submitted to variable density is studied experimentally in order to better understand the effect on mixture formation. Particle image velocimetry on fluorescent tracers, associated with a specific processing of the instantaneous velocity fields have been applied to obtain measurement in the close vicinity of the spray edge. In the “quasi-steady” region of the spray, important effect of the ambient density on the mass flow rate of entrained gas have been pointed out. The axial evolution of is in good agreement with an integral model that takes the momentum exchange between phases into account.     

Momentum and heat transfer from an asymmetrically confined circular cylinder in a plane channel

Unsteady momentum and heat transfer from an asymmetrically confined circular cylinder in a plane channel is numerically investigated using FLUENT for the ranges of Reynolds numbers as 10≤Re≤500, of the blockage ratio as 0.1≤β≤0.4, and of the gap ratio as 0.125≤γ≤1 for a constant value of the Prandtl number of 0.744. The transition of the flow from steady to unsteady (characterized by critical Re) is determined as a function of γ and β. The effect of γ on the mean drag and lift coefficients, Strouhal number (St), and Nusselt number (Nu _w ) is studied. Critical Re was found to increase with decreasing γ for all values of β. and St were found to increase with decreasing values of γ for fixed β and Re. The effect of decrease in γ on was found to be negligible for all blockage ratios investigated.     

Reflector Problem in $${\mathbb R^n}$$ Endowed with Non-Euclidean Norm

In this paper, we establish existence and uniqueness up to dilations for the reflector problem in a nonisotropic medium in for which light wavefronts are described by non-Euclidean norm spheres, through approaches of paraboloid approximation and optimal mass transport. Research of L. A. Caffarelli supported in part byNSF grant No. DMS-0140338; research of Q. Huang supported in part by NSF grants No. DMS-0201599 and No. DMS-0502045.     

Resolvent Estimates and Maximal Regularity in Weighted L q -spaces of the Stokes Operator in an Infinite Cylinder

Let be an infinite cylinder of , n ≥ 3, with a bounded cross-section of C ^1,1-class. We study resolvent estimates and maximal regularity of the Stokes operator in for 1 < q, r < ∞ and for arbitrary Muckenhoupt weights ω ∈ A _r with respect to x′ ∈ Σ. The proofs use an operator-valued Fourier multiplier theorem and techniques of unconditional Schauder decompositions based on the -boundedness of the family of solution operators for a system in Σ parametrized by the phase variable of the one-dimensional partial Fourier transform. Supported by the Gottlieb Daimler- und Karl Benz-Stiftung, grant no. S025/02-10/03.