Unsteady flow past an impulsively started vertical plate with heat and mass transfer

Finite difference solution of the transient free-convection flow of an incompressible viscous fluid past an impulsively started semi-infinite vertical plate with heat and mass transfer is presented here. The steady state velocity, temperature and concentration profiles are shown graphically. Velocity profiles are compared with exact solution. It has been observed that there is a rise in the velocity due to the presence of a mass diffusion. An increase in Schmidt number, leads to a fall in the velocity. Stability and the convergence of the finite difference scheme are established. Received on 7 January 1998     

Kinetics and mechanism of the addition of iodine monochloride to some alkenes in nitrobenzene solvent. Effect of polarity of the solvent

The kinetics of the addition of iodine monochloride (ICl) to some vinyl compounds in nitrobenzene solvent was investigated. In all cases the reaction follows second order dependence on ICl and first order on the substrate, making the total order three. Rate constants were measured for each substrate at 20°, 30°, 40° and 50°C.Arrhenius plots were made from which activation energies were evaluated. Other kinetic and thermodynamic parameters are reported. A suitable mechanism is proposed for the reaction and based on this, the various parameters are discussed. Solvent effects are discussed and the data with nitrobenzene and acetic acid solvents are compared.

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Kinetik und Mechanismus der Addition vonICl zu einigen Alkenen in Nitrobenzol als Lösungsmittel. Effekt der Polarität des Lösungsmittels

Zusammenfassung Die Kinetik der Addition von ICl zu einigen Vinylverbindungen in Nitrobenzol als Lösungsmittel wurde untersucht. In allen Fällen ist die Reaktion von zweiter Ordnung hinsichtlich ICl und von erster Ordnung hinsichtlich des Substrats, d. h. mit einer Gesamtordnung von drei. Geschwindigkeitskonstanten wurden für jedes Substrat bei 20°, 30°, 40° und 50°C gemessen. AusArrhenius-Diagrammen wurden Aktivierungsenergien ermittelt und auch andere kinetische und thermodynamische Parameter wurden bestimmt. Ein Mechanismus wird vorgeschlagen, wobei die verschiedenen Parameter diskutiert werden. Lösungsmitteleffekte werden ebenfalls diskutiert und die Daten mit Nitrobenzol und Essigsäure als Lösungsmittel miteinander verglichen.

     

Orthogonal arrays: An introduction and their application in optimizing underrelaxation factors in ‘simple’-based algorithm

The primary aim of this paper is to demonstrate how the ‘design-of-experiments’ techniques which are successful in physical experiments could also be adapted to a numerical simulation code. As an example this technique is applied to a general finite difference code used for predicting three-dimensional turbulent recirculating flows. Here the equations for velocities and continuity are solved using the algorithm called SIMPLE, which stands for semi-implicit method for pressure-linked equations. Physical modelling of turbulence is taken care of by means of kinetic energy and turbulence dissipation rate equations. The objective is to optimize the underrelaxation factors of primary and secondary flow variables so that the number of iterations required for convergence is minimum. This is done by the orthogonal array technique (a particular type of design-of-experiment technique). The geometry considered for this purpose is that of a simple gas turbine can combustor and the study is restricted to the isothermal non-reacting condition. Tests are carried out on three different grid configurations. In each case the underrelaxation factor for velocities contributed most to speed up the rate of convergence. Also, for each grid configuration the underrelaxation factor settings for minimum iterations for convergence was found to be same. Hence it is proposed that when doing grid independence tests for any similar flow situation, all the underrelaxation factors could be optimized on coarse grids.     

Transparent water repellent silica films by sol-gel process

Non-wettable surfaces with high contact angles and facile sliding angle of water droplets have received tremendous attention in recent years. The present paper describes the room temperature (∼27 °C) synthesis of dip coated water repellent silica coatings on glass substrates using iso-butyltrimethoxysilane (iso-BTMS) as a co-precursor. Emphasis is given to the influence of the hydrophobic reagent (iso-BTMS) on the water repellent properties of the silica films. Silica sol was prepared by keeping the molar ratio of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) precursor, methanol (MeOH) solvent, water (H₂O) constant at 1:16.53:8.26 respectively, with 0.01 M NH₄F throughout the experiment and the molar ratio of iso-BTMS/TEOS (M) was varied from 0 to 0.965. The effect of M on the surface structure and hydrophobicity has been researched. The static water contact angle values of the silica films increased from 65° to 140° and water sliding angle values decreased from 42° to 16° with an increase in the M value from 0 to 0.965. The water repellent silica films are thermally stable up to a temperature of 280 °C and above this temperature the film shows hydrophilic behavior. The water repellent silica films were characterized by the Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) Spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), % of optical transmission, thermal and chemical aging tests, humidity tests, static and dynamic water contact angle measurements.     

Universality in structure and elasticity of polymer-nanoparticle gels

We propose a combination of polymer field theory and off-lattice computer simulations to study polymer-bridged gelation in polymer-nanoparticle mixtures. We use this method to study the structure of gels formed in attractive polymer-colloid systems. Our results indicate that such gels exhibit a universal structure with a fractal dimension d(f) approximately 2.5 characteristic of random percolation. By mapping to an affine-network model, the enhancement in elastic moduli is predicted to follow a critical exponent nu(eta) approximately 1.8 characteristic of the resistor network percolation. We analyze selected experimental results to suggest the existence of a universality class corresponding to our results.     

Pre- and post-breakdown electrical studies in ultrathin Al2O3 films by conductive atomic force microscopy

The loss of local dielectric integrity in ultrathin Al₂O₃ films grown by atomic layer deposition is investigated using conducting atomic force microscopy. I–V spectra acquired at different regions of the samples by constant and ramping voltage stress are analyzed for their pre- and post-breakdown signatures. Based on these observations, the thickness dependent dielectric reliability and failure mechanism are discussed. Our results show that remarkable enhancement in breakdown electric field as high as 130 MV/cm is observed for ultrathin films of thickness less than 1 nm.     

Precursor state of skyrmions in MnSi: a heat capacity study

The magnetic phase diagram of MnSi based on the detailed magneto‐heat capacity study is presented. It shows the A‐phase, a precursor to the formation of stable skyrmion lattice, along with the intermediate, helical, conical, ferromagnetic and paramagnetic phases. The field isotherms of specific heat in and around the transition temperature reveal the different magnetic modulations. The local minima represent the relatively low entropy state due to the formation of A‐phase as a precursor to the stable skyrmion lattice. The field‐induced second‐order phase transition is observed by melting the intermediate phase. The region of existence of first‐order phase transition is found to be, effectively, from helical to the intermediate phase. (© 2013 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)