Flow past an axisymmetric body embedded in a saturated porous mediumÉcoulement derrière un corps à symétrie axiale plongé dans un milieu poreux saturé

The problem of viscous fluid past an axisymmetric body embedded in a fluid saturated porous medium is studied using the Brinkman's extension. A general formula for the drag on the body is derived in the form of a limit of an expression involving the stream function characterizing the flow. The flow past an axisymmetric approximate sphere is also considered. The stream function in this case is obtained in terms of Bessel functions and Gegenbauer's functions. The drag acting on the body is evaluated by using the formula derived. Its variation is studied with respect to geometric and permeability parameters. The special cases of flow past a sphere and a spheroid are obtained from the present analysis. To cite this article: D. Srinivasa Charya, J.V. Ramana Murthy, C. R. Mecanique 330 (2002) 417–423.     

Numerical investigation of the first transition in the three-dimensional problem of convective flow in a porous medium

The branching off of steady-state regimes from mechanical equilibrium is studied for the problem of filtration convection in a parallelepiped. The conditions for the geometric parameters under which stable continuous families of steady-state regimes develop are found. The stability of equilibria of the family with respect to three-dimensional perturbations is analyzed in a numerical experiment using a finite-difference method.     

Difference between the longitudinal Frenkel-Biot waves in water-and gas-saturated porous media

The problem of the propagation of longitudinal Biot waves in a porous medium saturated with a weakly compressible liquid (water) or a gas is considered theoretically. The frequency dependence of the phase velocities and damping coefficients is investigated numerically. It is shown that for a certain relationship between the parameters of the porous medium and the saturating fluid there is a “critical” frequency at which the properties of longitudinal waves of both kinds are identical. An analytical expression for this “critical” frequency is obtained. It is shown that for a gas-saturated porous medium, at a certain frequency, in both longitudinal waves the relative gas-matrix motion changes type. Assuming that the saturating-gas behavior corresponds to an adiabatic equation of state, an estimate is obtained for the threshold pore pressure necessary for the restructuring of the relative motion. The wave associated with matrix deformation is shown to have a high damping coefficient in a porous medium saturated with a weakly compressible liquid (water in the case considered) but to be only weakly damped in a gas-saturated porous medium.     

Exact Results for the Homogenization of Elastic Fiber-Reinforced Solids at Finite Strain

This work is concerned with the homogenization of solids reinforced by aligned parallel continuous fibers or weakened by aligned parallel cylindrical pores and undergoing large deformations. By alternatively exploiting the nominal and material formulations of the corresponding homogenization problem and by applying the implicit function theorem, it is shown that locally homogeneous deformations can be produced in such inhomogeneous materials and form a differentiable manifold. For every macroscopic strain associated to a locally homogeneous deformation field, the effective nominal or material stress–strain relation is exactly determined and connections are also exactly established between the effective nominal and material elastic tangent moduli. These results are microstructure-independent in the sense that they hold irrespectively of the transverse geometry and distribution of the fibers or pores. A porous medium consisting of a compressible Mooney–Rivlin material with cylindrical pores is studied in detail to illustrate the general results. This work was the first time presented at the Euromech Colloqium 464 on “Fiber-reinforced Solids: Constitutive Laws and Instabilities”, September 28–October 1, 2004, Cantabria, Spain.     

An optical method to assess electromechanical coupling in ferroelectric ceramics

A new technique is described, which allows the assessment of elastic and inelastic regions around a macroscopic defect in ferroelectric-ferroelastic ceramics. The accuracy and robustness of the method are demonstrated on a PZT plate with a centered hole subjected to uni-axial compressive stresses. From the electrical potential distribution on the sample surface, the mechanical response of the material is obtained at different load levels.     

Surfactant Concentration and End Effects on Foam Flow in Porous Media

Foaming injected gas is a useful and promising technique for achieving mobility control in porous media. Typically, such foams are aqueous. In the presence of foam, gas and liquid flow behavior is determined by bubble size or foam texture. The thin-liquid films that separate foam into bubbles must be relatively stable for a foam to be finely textured and thereby be effective as a displacing or blocking agent. Film stability is a strong function of surfactant concentration and type. This work studies foam flow behavior at a variety of surfactant concentrations using experiments and a numerical model. Thus, the foam behavior examined spans from strong to weak.Specifically, a suite of foam displacements over a range of surfactant concentrations in a roughly 7m², one-dimensional sandpack are monitored using X-ray computed tomography (CT). Sequential pressure taps are employed to measure flow resistance. Nitrogen is the gas and an alpha olefin sulfonate (AOS 1416) in brine is the foamer. Surfactant concentrations studied vary from 0.005 to 1wt%. Because foam mobility depends strongly upon its texture, a bubble population balance model is both useful and necessary to describe the experimental results thoroughly and self consistently. Excellent agreement is found between experiment and theory.     

Validation of Thermal Equilibrium Assumption in Transient Forced Convection Flow in Porous Channel

The validity of the local thermal equilibrium assumption in the transient forced convection channel flow is investigated analytically. Closed form expressions are presented for the temperatures of the fluid and solid domains and for the criterion which insures the validity of the local thermal equilibrium assumption. It is found that four dimensionless parameters control the local thermal equilibrium assumption. These parameters are the porosity , the volumetric Biot number Bi, the dimensionless channel length _max and the solid to fluid total thermal capacity ratio C _R. The qualitative and quantitative aspects of the effects of these four parameters on the channel thermal equilibrium relaxation time are investigated.     

Sulfur Immobilized in Hierarchically Porous Structured Carbon as Cathodes for Lithium–Sulfur Battery with Improved Electrochemical Performance

In order to overcome the main obstacles for lithium–sulfur batteries, such as poor conductivity of sulfur, polysulfide intermediate dissolution, and large volume change generated during the cycle process, a hard‐template route is developed to synthesize large‐surface area carbon with abundant micropores and mesopores to immobilize sulfur species. The microstructures of the C/S hybrids are investigated using field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, nitrogen adsorption–desorption isotherms, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy techniques. The large surface and porous structure can effectively alleviate large strain due to the lithiation/delithiation process. More importantly, the micropores can effectively confine small molecules of sulfur in the form of S_2–4, avoiding loss of active S species and dissolution of high‐order lithium polysulfides. The porous C/S hybrids show significantly enhanced electrochemical performance with good cycling stability, high specific capacity, and rate capability. The C/S‐39 hybrid with an optimal content of 39 wt% S shows a reversible capacity of 780 mA h g^?1 after 100 cycles at the current density of 100 mA g^?1. Even at a current density of 5 A g^?1, the reversible capacity of C/S‐39 can still maintain at 420 mA h g^?1 after 60 cycles. This strategy offers a new way for solving long‐term reversibility obstacle and designing new cathode electrode architectures.     

KDP晶体相位匹配角理论预测模型及其验证分析

在高功率固体激光器的终端光学组件内, 大口径薄型KDP (KH₂PO₄)晶体的精密装配和校准是实现惯性约束核聚变的关键技术之一. 为了达到晶体在线安装高效高精度的要求, 需要测量高功率激光三次谐波转换效率达到最高时的晶体相位匹配角分布. 本文针对Ⅰ/Ⅱ类大口径薄型KDP晶体三次谐波转换的方式, 根据晶体的非线性光学属性获得了晶体不同位置相位匹配角之间的关系; 根据激光束在晶体内的传输路径分析得到了晶体面形、相位匹配角与激光三次谐波转换效率达到最高时 晶体最佳偏转角之间的相互关系. 在此基础上, 建立了Ⅰ/Ⅱ类KDP晶体相位匹配角的理论预测模型, 并利用实验进行了验证和分析. 实验结果表明, 晶体相位匹配角的预测值与实验值之差在10.0 μrad以内, 验证了Ⅰ/Ⅱ类KDP晶体相位匹配角理论预测模型的正确性, 为获得晶体全口径相位匹配角分布提供了简单、高效的预测方法.