Research

13 pages, 2219 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Experimental Characterization of the Wettability of Coated and Uncoated Plates for Indirect Evaporative Cooling Systems

by Roberta Caruana, Stefano De Antonellis, Luca Marocco, Paolo Liberati and Manfredo Guilizzoni

Fluids 2023, 8(4), 122; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/fluids8040122 - 03 Apr 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1073

Indirect Evaporative Cooling (IEC) is a very promising technology to substitute and/or integrate traditional air conditioning systems, due to its ability to provide cooling capacity with limited power consumption. Literature studies proved that a higher wettability of the IEC plates corresponds to better [...] Read more.

Indirect Evaporative Cooling (IEC) is a very promising technology to substitute and/or integrate traditional air conditioning systems, due to its ability to provide cooling capacity with limited power consumption. Literature studies proved that a higher wettability of the IEC plates corresponds to better performance of the system. In this work, wettability of three different surfaces used for IEC systems plates—uncoated aluminum alloy (AL), standard epoxy coating (STD), and a hydrophilic lacquer (HPHI)—is studied and characterized in terms of static and dynamic contact angles. The static contact angle resulted to be the lowest for the HPHI surface (average 69°), intermediate for the STD surface (average 75°), and the highest for the AL surface (average 89°). The analysis of the dynamic contact angles showed that their transient behavior is similar for all the surfaces, and the advancing and receding contact angles obtained are consistent with the results of the static analysis. These results will be useful as input parameters in models aimed at predicting the IEC system performance, also using computational fluid dynamics. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fluids and Surfaces)

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9 pages, 1369 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Puncture of a Viscous Liquid Film Due to Droplet Falling

by Viktor G. Grishaev, Ivan K. Bakulin, Alidad Amirfazli and Iskander S. Akhatov

Fluids 2022, 7(6), 196; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/fluids7060196 - 08 Jun 2022

Viewed by 2684

Abstract

Droplet impact may rupture a liquid film on a non-wettable surface. The formation of a stable dry spot has only been studied in the inviscid case. Here, we examine the break-up of viscous films, and demonstrate the importance and role of the viscous [...] Read more.

Droplet impact may rupture a liquid film on a non-wettable surface. The formation of a stable dry spot has only been studied in the inviscid case. Here, we examine the break-up of viscous films, and demonstrate the importance and role of the viscous dissipation in both film and droplet. A new model was therefore proposed to predict the necessary droplet energy to create a dry spot. It also showed that the dissipation contribution in film dominates when the ratio of the thicknesses to drop diameter is larger than 7/4. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fluids and Surfaces)

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18 pages, 7265 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Crater Depth after the Impact of Multiple Drops into Deep Pools

by Manfredo Guilizzoni and Giuseppe Frontera

Fluids 2022, 7(2), 50; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/fluids7020050 - 24 Jan 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2239

Abstract

Many studies have been devoted to single drop impacts onto liquid films and pools, while just a few are available about double drop or drop train impacts, despite the fact that the latter are more realistic situations. Thus, computational fluid dynamics with a [...] Read more.

Many studies have been devoted to single drop impacts onto liquid films and pools, while just a few are available about double drop or drop train impacts, despite the fact that the latter are more realistic situations. Thus, computational fluid dynamics with a volume-of-fluid approach was used here to simulate the impact of multiple drops into deep pools. The aim was to verify if multiple drop impacts significantly differ from single drops ones, and if the models available in the literature for the crater depth in the case of single impacts are reliable also for the multiple drop cases. After validation against experimental data for single and double drop impacts, simulations for four to 30 drops, with a diameter of 2.30 mm, impact velocities 1.0, 1.4, 1.8, and 2.2 m/s, and random initial positions in the domain were performed. The results showed that the time evolution of the crater depth for multiple impacts is similar to the single drop case during the inertial phase, while the following behavior is very different. Consequently, the available models for the maximum crater depth during single drop impacts can still predict the upper and lower bounds of the values of the crater depth during multiple drop impacts within 5% deviation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fluids and Surfaces)

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13 pages, 1163 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Functional Acrylic Surfaces Obtained by Scratching

by Abraham Medina, Abel López-Villa and Carlos A. Vargas

Fluids 2021, 6(12), 463; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/fluids6120463 - 18 Dec 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1947

Abstract

By using sandpaper of different grit, we have scratched up smooth sheets of acrylic to cover their surfaces with disordered but near parallel micro-grooves. This procedure allowed us to transform the acrylic surface into a functional surface; measuring the capillary rise of silicone [...] Read more.

By using sandpaper of different grit, we have scratched up smooth sheets of acrylic to cover their surfaces with disordered but near parallel micro-grooves. This procedure allowed us to transform the acrylic surface into a functional surface; measuring the capillary rise of silicone oil up to an average height

\bar{h}

, we found that

\bar{h}

evolves as a power law of the form

\bar{h} \sim t^{n}

, where t is the elapsed time from the start of the flow and n takes the values 0.40 or 0.50, depending on the different inclinations of the sheets. Such behavior can be understood alluding to the theoretical predictions for the capillary rise in very tight, open capillary wedges. We also explore other functionalities of such surfaces, as the loss of mass of water sessile droplets on them and the generic role of worn surfaces, in the short survival time of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fluids and Surfaces)

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14 pages, 36397 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Features of the Hydrocarbon Distribution in the Bottom Sediments of the Norwegian and Barents Seas

by Inna A. Nemirovskaya and Anastasia V. Khramtsova

Fluids 2021, 6(12), 456; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/fluids6120456 - 15 Dec 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1904

Abstract

The results of the study of hydrocarbons (HCs): aliphatic (AHCs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in bottom sediments (2019 and 2020, cruises 75 and 80 of the R/V Akademik Mstislav Keldysh) in the Norwegian-Barents Sea basin: Mohns Ridge, shelf Svalbard archipelago, Sturfiord, Medvezhinsky [...] Read more.

The results of the study of hydrocarbons (HCs): aliphatic (AHCs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in bottom sediments (2019 and 2020, cruises 75 and 80 of the R/V Akademik Mstislav Keldysh) in the Norwegian-Barents Sea basin: Mohns Ridge, shelf Svalbard archipelago, Sturfiord, Medvezhinsky trench, central part of the Barents Sea, Novaya Zemlya shelf, Franz Victoria trough are presented. It has been established that the organo-geochemical background of the Holocene sediments was formed due to the flow of sedimentary material in the coastal regions of the Barents Sea on shipping routes. The anthropogenic input of HCs into bottom sediments leads to an increase in their content in the composition of C_org (in the sandy sediments of the Kaninsky Bank at an AHC concentration up to 64 μg/g, when its proportion in the composition of C_org reaches 11.7%). The endogenous influence on the of the Svalbard archipelago shelf in Sturfiord and in the Medvezhinsky Trench determines the specificity of local anomalies in the content and composition of HCs. This is reflected in the absence of a correlation between HCs and the grain size composition of sediments and C_org content, as well as a change in hydrocarbon molecular markers. At the same time, the sedimentary section is enriched in light alkanes and naphthalene’s that may be due to emission during point discharge of gas fluid from sedimentary rocks of the lower stratigraphic horizons and/or sipping migration. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fluids and Surfaces)

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30 pages, 4811 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Small Alcohols as Surfactants and Hydrate Promotors

by Bjørn Kvamme

Fluids 2021, 6(10), 345; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/fluids6100345 - 30 Sep 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1942

Abstract

Many methods to produce hydrate reservoirs have been proposed in the last three decades. Thermal stimulation and injection of thermodynamic hydrate inhibitors are just two examples of methods which have seen reduced attention due to their high cost. However, different methods for producing [...] Read more.

Many methods to produce hydrate reservoirs have been proposed in the last three decades. Thermal stimulation and injection of thermodynamic hydrate inhibitors are just two examples of methods which have seen reduced attention due to their high cost. However, different methods for producing hydrates are not evaluated thermodynamically prior to planning expensive experiments or pilot tests. This can be due to lack of a thermodynamic toolbox for the purpose. Another challenge is the lack of focus on the limitations of the hydrate phase transition itself. The interface between hydrate and liquid water is a kinetic bottle neck. Reducing pressure does not address this problem. An injection of CO₂ will lead to the formation of a new CO₂ hydrate. This hydrate formation is an efficient heat source for dissociating hydrate since heating breaks the hydrogen bonds, directly addressing the problem of nano scale kinetic limitation. Adding limited amounts of N₂ increases the permeability of the injection gas. The addition of surfactant increases gas/water interface dynamics and promotes heterogeneous hydrate formation. In this work we demonstrate a residual thermodynamic scheme that allows thermodynamic analysis of different routes for hydrate formation and dissociation. We demonstrate that 20 moles per N₂ added to the CO₂ is thermodynamically feasible for generating a new hydrate into the pores. When N₂ is added, the available hydrate formation enthalpy is reduced as compared to pure CO₂, but is still considered sufficient. Up to 3 mole percent ethanol in the free pore water is also thermodynamically feasible. The addition of alcohol will not greatly disturb the ability to form new hydrate from the injection gas. Homogeneous hydrate formation from dissolved CH₄ and/or CO₂ is limited in amount and not important. However, the hydrate stability limits related to concentration of hydrate former in surrounding water are important. Mineral surfaces can act as hydrate promotors through direct adsorption, or adsorption in water that is structured by mineral surface charges. These aspects will be quantified in a follow-up paper, along with kinetic modelling based on thermodynamic modelling in this work. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fluids and Surfaces)

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35 pages, 7529 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Turbulent Flow through and over a Compact Three-Dimensional Model Porous Medium: An Experimental Study

by James Kofi Arthur

Fluids 2021, 6(10), 337; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/fluids6100337 - 23 Sep 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1957

Abstract

There are several natural and industrial applications where turbulent flows over compact porous media are relevant. However, the study of such flows is rare. In this paper, an experimental investigation of turbulent flow through and over a compact model porous medium is presented [...] Read more.

There are several natural and industrial applications where turbulent flows over compact porous media are relevant. However, the study of such flows is rare. In this paper, an experimental investigation of turbulent flow through and over a compact model porous medium is presented to fill this gap in the literature. The objectives of this work were to measure the development of the flow over the porous boundary, the penetration of the turbulent flow into the porous domain, the attendant three-dimensional effects, and Reynolds number effects. These objectives were achieved by conducting particle image velocimetry measurements in a test section with turbulent flow through and over a compact model porous medium of porosity 85%, and filling fraction 21%. The bulk Reynolds numbers were 14,338 and 24,510. The results showed a large-scale anisotropic turbulent flow region over and within the porous medium. The overlying turbulent flow had a boundary layer that thickened along the stream by about 90% and infiltrated into the porous medium to a depth of about 7% of the porous medium rod diameter. The results presented here provide useful physical insight suited for the design and analyses of turbulent flows over compact porous media arrangements. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fluids and Surfaces)

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10 pages, 4858 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Oscillatory Reversible Osmotic Growth of Sessile Saline Droplets on a Floating Polydimethylsiloxane Membrane

by Pritam Kumar Roy, Shraga Shoval, Leonid A. Dombrovsky and Edward Bormashenko

Fluids 2021, 6(7), 232; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/fluids6070232 - 22 Jun 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1930

Abstract

We report a cyclic growth/retraction phenomena observed for saline droplets placed on a cured poly (dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) membrane with a thickness of 7.8 ± 0.1 µm floating on a pure water surface. Osmotic mass transport across the micro-scaled floating PDMS membrane provided the [...] Read more.

We report a cyclic growth/retraction phenomena observed for saline droplets placed on a cured poly (dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) membrane with a thickness of 7.8 ± 0.1 µm floating on a pure water surface. Osmotic mass transport across the micro-scaled floating PDMS membrane provided the growth of the sessile saline droplets followed by evaporation of the droplets. NaCl crystals were observed in the vicinity of the triple line at the evaporation stage. The observed growth/retraction cycle was reversible. A model of the osmotic mass transfer across the cured PDMS membrane is suggested and verified. The first stage of the osmotic growth of saline droplets is well-approximated by the universal linear relationship, whose slope is independent of the initial radius of the droplet. The suggested physical model qualitatively explains the time evolution of the droplet size. The reported process demonstrates a potential for use in industrial desalination. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fluids and Surfaces)

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19 pages, 8233 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Modeling of the Effects of Pleat Packing Density and Cartridge Geometry on the Performance of Pleated Membrane Filters

by Dave Persaud, Mikhail Smirnov, Daniel Fong and Pejman Sanaei

Fluids 2021, 6(6), 209; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/fluids6060209 - 05 Jun 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2962

Abstract

Pleated membrane filters are widely used to remove undesired impurities from a fluid in many applications. A filter membrane is sandwiched between porous support layers and then pleated and packed into an annular cylindrical cartridge with a central hollow duct for outflow. Although [...] Read more.

Pleated membrane filters are widely used to remove undesired impurities from a fluid in many applications. A filter membrane is sandwiched between porous support layers and then pleated and packed into an annular cylindrical cartridge with a central hollow duct for outflow. Although this arrangement offers a high surface filtration area to volume ratio, the filter performance is not as efficient as those of equivalent flat filters. In this paper, we use asymptotic methods to simplify the flow throughout the cartridge to systematically investigate how the number of pleats or pleat packing density affects the performance of the pleated membrane filters. The model is used to determine an optimal number of pleats in order to achieve a particular optimum filtration performance. Our findings show that only the “just right”—neither too few nor too many—number of pleats gives optimum performance in a pleated filter cartridge. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fluids and Surfaces)

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11 pages, 1735 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Diesel Migration and Distribution in Capillary Fringe Using Different Spill Volumes via Image Analysis

by Motasem Y. D. Alazaiza, Tahra Al Maskari, Ahmed Albahansawi, Salem S. Abu Amr, Mohammed F. M. Abushammala and Maher Aburas

Fluids 2021, 6(5), 189; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/fluids6050189 - 17 May 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2186

Abstract

Laboratory-scale column experiments were conducted to assess the impact of different LNAPL volumes on LANPL migration behavior in capillary zone in porous media. Three different volumes of diesel (50 mL, 100 mL, and 150 mL) were released in different experiments using a 1D [...] Read more.

Laboratory-scale column experiments were conducted to assess the impact of different LNAPL volumes on LANPL migration behavior in capillary zone in porous media. Three different volumes of diesel (50 mL, 100 mL, and 150 mL) were released in different experiments using a 1D rectangular column filled with natural sand. The water table was set at 29 cm from the bottom of the column. The image analysis results provided quantitative time-dependent data on the LNAPL distribution through the duration for the experiments. Results demonstrated that the higher diesel volume (150 mL) exhibited the faster LNAPL migration through all experiments. This observation was due to the high volume of diesel as compared to other cases which provides high pressure to migrate deeper in a short time. In all experiments, the diesel migration was fast during the first few minutes of observation and then, the velocity was decreased gradually. This is due to pressure exerted by diesel in order to allow the diesel to percolate through the sand voids. Overall, this study proved that the image analysis can be a good and reliable tool to monitor the LNAPL migration in porous media. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fluids and Surfaces)

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