Showing papers by "Carlo Saverio Iorio published in 2003"

Interfacial nonequilibrium and Bénard-Marangoni instability of a liquid-vapor system.

Abstract: We study B\'enard-Marangoni instability in a system formed by a horizontal liquid layer and its overlying vapor. The liquid is lying on a hot rigid plate and the vapor is bounded by a cold parallel plate. A pump maintains a reduced pressure in the vapor layer and evacuates the vapor. This investigation is undertaken within the classical quasisteady approximation for both the vapor and the liquid phases. The two layers are separated by a deformable interface. Temporarily frozen temperature and velocity distributions are employed at each instant for the stability analysis, limited to infinitesimal disturbances (linear regime). We use irreversible thermodynamics to model the phase change under interfacial nonequilibrium. Within this description, the interface appears as a barrier for transport of both heat and mass. Hence, in contrast with previous studies, we consider the possibility of a temperature jump across the interface, as recently measured experimentally. The stability analysis shows that the interfacial resistances to heat and mass transfer have a destabilizing influence compared to an interface that is in thermodynamic equilibrium. The role of the fluctuations in the vapor phase on the onset of instability is discussed. The conditions to reduce the system to a one phase model are also established. Finally, the influence of the evaporation parameters and of the presence of an inert gas on the marginal stability curves is discussed.

Two-Phase Flow Pattern and Pressure Drop in a Microchannel

Abstract: An experimental investigation has been carried out on two-phase flow characteristics in a 10 μm circular gap. The inlet of the gap is formed by two circular surfaces with radius 10 mm. The pressure drop is measured between two points placed — respectively — at the inlet and at the outlet of the gap. The upper and lower plates of the test section are transparent. Two-phase flow patterns were determined by video recording. The single flows of liquid FC-72 and nitrogen gas, as well as two-phase flow are investigated. In two-phase flow experiments the gap is filled by liquid. Liquid is maintained continuously by surface tension in the gap and in the meniscus formed between two inlet circular surfaces. The pressure difference includes two components, surface tension component in the meniscus and viscous one. Instability appears at the entrance of the gas into the gap. At small flowrate the gas flows in the gap has the form of chains of bubbles. Part of investigation was done in microgravity during a Parabolic Flights. In order to better understand experimental results, some numerical simulations have been done both in two and three dimensions for the real geometrical configuration for one-phase flows only.Copyright © 2003 by ASME