Review of computational studies on boiling and condensation

Influence of surface tension implementation in Volume of Fluid and coupled Volume of Fluid with Level Set methods for bubble growth and detachment

The free-volume depth profile of asymmetric polymeric membrane systems prepared by interfacial polymerization is studied using positron annihilation spectroscopy coupled with a variable monoenergy slow positron beam. Significant variations of S, W, and R parameters from the Doppler broadened energy spectra vs positron incident energy up to 30 keV and orthopositronium lifetime and intensity are observed at different doping times of triethylenetetraamine (TETA) reacting with trimesoyl chloride (TMC) in an interfacial polymerization on modified porous polyacrylonitrile (PAN) asymmetric membrane. The positron annihilation data are analyzed in terms of free-volume parameters as a function of depth from the surface to nano- and micrometer regions of asymmetric membranes. A multilayer structure is obtained in polymerized polyamide (PA) on modified PAN membranes (m-PAN):  a nanometer scale skin polyamide layer, a nanometer to micrometer scale transition layer from dense to porous m-PAN, and the porous m-PAN suppo...

Free-Volume Depth Profile of Polymeric Membranes Studied by Positron Annihilation Spectroscopy: Layer Structure from Interfacial Polymerization

High-gravity process intensification technology and application

Rotating packed beds have received considerable attention as a means of process intensification for gas−liquid mass transfer over the past 2 decades. In this work, we take a critical view of the de...

Process Intensification in Rotating Packed Beds (HIGEE): An Appraisal

The liquid-side mass transfer rate in a centrifugal gas-liquid contactor has been reported to be several times higher than that in conventional packed beds. However, no direct measurement of the gas-side mass transfer coefficient has been reported. We present experimental studies on gas-side mass transfer in a rotating packed bed with wire-gauze packing. Contrary to expectations, the gas-side mass transfer coefficient was much lower than that in conventional packed columns. An analysis of the gas flow, based on the equations of motion, revealed that the gas undergoes solid-body-like rotation in the rotor because of the drag offered by the packing. Therefore, the mass transfer coefficient should be in the same range as that in conventional packed columns. The lower value of the coefficient found experimentally is attributed to liquid maldistribution. The possibility of enhancing the mass transfer coefficient by enhancing the slip between the gas and the packing was explored by using a stack of closely spaced disks as the packing. Mass transfer studies with a pair of disks were conducted. Higher throughputs and mass transfer rates than those with the wire-gauze packing were obtained. A stack of disks as packing appears to hold promise.

Gas-Phase Mass Transfer in a Centrifugal Contactor

When a droplet of liquid 1 falls through liquid 2 to eventually hit the liquid 2-liquid 1 interface, its initial impact on the interface can produce daughter droplets of liquid 1. In some cases, a partial coalescence cascade governed by self-similar capillary-inertial dynamics is observed, where the fall of the secondary droplets in turn continues to produce further daughter droplets. Results show that inertia and interfacial surface tension forces largely govern the process of partial coalescence. The partial coalescence is suppressed by the viscous force when Ohnesorge number is below a critical value and also by gravity force when Bond number exceeds a critical value. Generation of secondary drop is observed for systems of lower Ohnesorge number for liquid 1, lower and intermediate Ohnesorge number for liquid 2 and for low and intermediate values of Bond number. Whenever the horizontal momentum in the liquid column is more than the vertical momentum, secondary drop is formed. A transition regime from partial to complete coalescence is obtained when the neck radius oscillates twice. In this regime, the main body of the column can be fitted to power-law scaling model within a specific time range. We investigated the conditions and the outcome of these coalescence events based on numerical simulations using a coupled level set and volume of fluid method (CLSVOF).

Generation of secondary droplets in coalescence of a drop at a liquid-liquid interface

Flux and retention analysis during micellar enhanced ultrafiltration for the removal of phenol and aniline

In this work numerical simulations have been carried out to study the problem of dynamic air bubble formation from a submerged orifice in quiescent liquid, under constant inflow condition, at normal and reduced gravity levels. A coupled level-set and volume-of-fluid method is used to simulate the bubble formation, bubble detachment, and the bubble rise above the orifice. For the described study, the authors have mainly focused on low and medium air flow rate for simulation of bubble formation at the orifice. The employed gravity levels g/ge are in the range of 100, 10−1, and 10−2. The influence of buoyancy on the bubble shape has been studied. The study includes the bubble volume, formation frequency, pinch-off rate, detached bubble diameter, and the bubble growth history for different air flow rates. Even for the static contact angle θs=00, it is observed that at low gravity levels the bubble base spreads along the surface of the orifice plate away from the orifice rim during the expansion stage, and during the detachment stage the bubble base again comes back to the orifice rim. As the air flow rate is increased under normal and low gravity conditions, coalescence between the rising bubbles or between the detached bubble and the forming bubble at the orifice is observed. It is shown that the increasing trend of bubble size at detachment, with increasing air flow rate under normal gravity is reversed in the case of reduced gravity (g/ge=10−2).

Computational investigation on bubble detachment from submerged orifice in quiescent liquid under normal and reduced gravity

A hierarchal web of activated carbon fibers is synthesized in which carbon nanofibers (CNF) are grown on micro activated carbon fibers (ACF) used as a substrate. A bed of ACF was first impregnated with nickel nitrate hexahydrate which was subsequently reduced to metallic nickel. Catalytic chemical vapor deposition (CVD) was then carried out at 1023 K using benzene as carbon source, which resulted in the growth of CNF. Conditions of hierarchal web formation were optimized by employing two different types of reactorssa perforated tube reactor with radially outward flow of gases and a perforated disc reactor providing a parallel flow. Both of these configurations were used for carrying out reduction and CVD. Our results show that relatively larger amount and uniformity of CNF could be obtained using the perforated disc reactor. Various analytical techniques including atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were employed to characterize the carbon web. The resulting ACF web is a hierarchical structure, which was tested for its NO removal capability by reduction. We found these carbon structures to be more efficient compared to the original ACF or ACF impregnated with metal.

A. Sharma

Papers

Gas-Phase Mass Transfer in a Centrifugal Contactor

Generation of secondary droplets in coalescence of a drop at a liquid-liquid interface

Flux and retention analysis during micellar enhanced ultrafiltration for the removal of phenol and aniline

Computational investigation on bubble detachment from submerged orifice in quiescent liquid under normal and reduced gravity

Micro-Nano Hierarchal Web of Activated Carbon Fibers for Catalytic Gas Adsorption and Reaction