DISJOINING PRESSURE EFFECT ON THE WETTING CHARACTERISTICS IN A CAPILLARY TUBE

Abstract

A mathematical model capable of predicting the wicking height formed by a wetting liquid in a vertical, heated capillary tube was developed. The model incorporates the disjoining pressure, the fluid flow and heat transfer in the thin film region, and the thermocapillary effects. Evaluation of the modeling predictions indicates the meniscus radius of curvature at the vapor - liquid interface increases significantly with increasing heat flux, resulting in an increase in the contact angle due to the surface tension variation, disjoining pressure, and fluid flow in the evaporating thin film. The increase in the contact angle is shown to be the principal reason that the static wicking height in capillary tubes is typically greater than the dynamic wicking height observed during dynamic flow conditions. In addition to the individual contributions of the dynamic flow effect and the contact angle variation, both of these parameters are presented and discussed as a function of the tube diameter. In order to verify the analytical model, comparisons with previously obtained experimental data are made. The verified analytical model presented and developed here provides a better understanding of the wetting phenomena occurring in a heated capillary tube and has applicability in a wide range of applications.