Convective Particle Transport Research Articles

Gravitational effect on particle deposition in narrow channels with porous walls

Convective transport of particles in a narrow horizontal channel with porous walls is analyzed by considering the gravitational effect. Particle concentration, penetration and deposition velocity in three different channels are obtained by using the theoretical solutions. The results show that the differences between the concentrations in the three channels become evident with the increase of the permeability coefficient and slip factor of porous materials, especially for fine particles. The wall structure of the channel has significant influences on particle deposition velocity. When both the upper and lower walls are porous, the deposition in the channel is weakened. In addition, particle deposition velocities on the porous walls are consistent with each other, and the velocities are higher than those on the solid walls.

Multiphase plumes in a stratified ambient

We report on experiments of turbulent particle-laden plumes descending through a stratified environment. We show that provided the characteristic plume speed $(B_{0}N)^{1/4}$ exceeds the particle fall speed, where the plume buoyancy flux is $B_{0}$ and the Brunt–Väisälä frequency is $N$, then the plume is arrested by the stratification and initially intrudes at the neutral height associated with a single-phase plume of the same buoyancy flux. If the original fluid phase in the plume has density equal to that of the ambient fluid at the source, then as the particles sediment from the intruding fluid, the fluid finds itself buoyant and rises, ultimately intruding at a height of about $0.58\pm 0.03$ of the original plume height, consistent with new predictions we present based on classical plume theory. We generalise this result, and show that if the buoyancy flux at the source is composed of a fraction $F_{s}$ associated with the buoyancy of the source fluid, and a fraction $1-F_{s}$ from the particles, then following the sedimentation of the particles, the plume fluid intrudes at a height $(0.58+0.22F_{s}\pm 0.03)H_{t}$, where $H_{t}$ is the maximum plume height. This is key for predictions of the environmental impact of any material dissolved in the plume water which may originate from the particle load. We also show that the particles sediment at their fall speed through the fluid below the maximum depth of the plume as a cylindrical column whose area scales as the ratio of the particle flux at the source to the fall speed and concentration of particles in the plume at the maximum depth of the plume before it is arrested by the stratification. We demonstrate that there is negligible vertical transport of fluid in this cylindrical column, but a series of layers of high and low particle concentration develop in the column with a vertical spacing which is given by the ratio of the buoyancy of the particle load and the background buoyancy gradient. Small fluid intrusions develop at the side of the column associated with these layers, as dense parcels of particle-laden fluid convect downwards and then outward once the particles have sedimented from the fluid, with a lateral return flow drawing in ambient fluid. As a result, the pattern of particle-rich and particle-poor layers in the column gradually migrates upwards owing to the convective transport of particles between the particle-rich layers superposed on the background sedimentation. We consider the implications of the results for mixing by bubble plumes, for submarine blowouts of oil and gas and for the fate of plumes of waste particles discharged at the ocean surface during deep-sea mining.

MHD modeling of a DIII-D low-torque QH-mode discharge and comparison to observations

Extended-MHD modeling of DIII-D tokamak [J. L. Luxon, Nucl. Fusion 42, 614 (2002)] quiescent H-mode (QH-mode) discharges with nonlinear NIMROD [C. R. Sovinec et al., J. Comput. Phys. 195, 355 (2004)] simulations saturates into a turbulent state but does not saturate when the steady-state flow inferred from measurements is not included. This is consistent with the experimental observations of the quiescent regime on DIII-D. The simulation with flow develops into a saturated turbulent state where the nϕ=1 and 2 toroidal modes become dominant through an inverse cascade. Each mode in the range of nϕ=1–5 is dominant at a different time. Consistent with experimental observations during QH-mode, the simulated state leads to large particle transport relative to the thermal transport. Analysis shows that the amplitude and phase of the density and temperature perturbations differ resulting in greater fluctuation-induced convective particle transport relative to the convective thermal transport. Comparison to magnetic-coil measurements shows that rotation frequencies differ between the simulation and experiment, which indicates that more sophisticated extended-MHD two-fluid modeling is required.

Impact of gas flow rate on breakdown of filamentary dielectric barrier discharges

The influence of gas flow rate on breakdown properties and stability of pulsed dielectric barrier discharges (DBDs) in a single filament arrangement using a gas mixture of 0.1 vol. % O2 in N2 at atmospheric pressure was investigated by means of electrical and optical diagnostics, accompanied by fluid dynamics and electrostatics simulations. A higher flow rate perpendicular to the electrode symmetry axis resulted in an increased breakdown voltage and DBD current maximum, a higher discharge inception jitter, and a larger emission diameter of the discharge channel. In addition, a shift of the filament position for low gas flow rates with respect to the electrode symmetry axis was observed. These effects can be explained by the change of the residence time of charge carriers in the discharge region—i.e., the volume pre-ionization—for changed flow conditions due to the convective transport of particles out of the center of the gap.

Direct numerical simulations of flow in realistic mouth–throat geometries

The flow in a set of four realistic mouth–throat geometries at a flow rate of 30L/min is studied in order to determine the effect of intrasubject and intersubject variations on the mean flow patterns and the turbulence fluctuations. Direct numerical simulations (DNS) are performed, which fully resolve all the scales in the flow, without requiring a turbulence model. An immersed boundary method is applied on curvilinear grids which simplifies the task of grid generation for the complex extrathoracic geometries and allows the use of a structured grid solver which increases the efficiency of the numerical scheme. Inspection of the mean, responsible for the convective transport of particles, and the fluctuating component of velocity, responsible for turbulent dispersion, allows us to explain in vitro deposition data in the literature obtained in the same mouth–throat models. The results provide insight as to how geometric variation affects aerosol deposition and explain the scatter in deposition data observed in the literature. Geometric variation is shown to have a large impact on both the mean velocity profiles and the turbulence intensities. Examination of the flow fields in the various mouth–throat geometries allows us to address the origin of the dependence of deposition on Reynolds number, and provide the physical significance of the empirical Reynolds number correction previously proposed in the literature.

Aerosol and gas re‐distribution by shallow cumulus clouds: An investigation using airborne measurements

Aircraft measurements during the 2006 Gulf of Mexico Atmospheric Composition and Climate Study (GoMACCS) are used to examine the influence of shallow cumulus clouds on vertical profiles of aerosol chemical composition, size distributions, and secondary aerosol precursor gases. The data show signatures of convective transport of particles, gases and moisture from near the surface to higher altitudes, and of aqueous‐phase production of aerosol mass (sulfate and organics) in cloud droplets and aerosol water. In cloudy conditions, the average aerosol volume concentration at an altitude of 2850 m, above typical cloud top levels, was found to be 34% of that at 450 m; for clear conditions, the same ratio was 13%. Both organic and sulfate mass fractions were on average constant with altitude (around 50%); however, the ratio of oxalate to organic mass increased with altitude (from 1% at 450 m to almost 9% at 3450 m), indicative of the influence of in‐cloud production on the vertical abundance and characteristics of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) mass. A new metric termed “residual cloud fraction” is introduced as a way of quantifying the “cloud processing history” of an air parcel. Results of a parcel model simulating aqueous phase production of sulfate and organics reproduce observed trends and point at a potentially important role of SOA production, especially oligomers, in deliquesced aerosols. The observations emphasize the importance of shallow cumulus clouds in altering the vertical distribution of aerosol properties that influence both their direct and indirect effect on climate.

Flow and Particle Dispersion in a Pulmonary Alveolus—Part I: Velocity Measurements and Convective Particle Transport

The alveoli are the smallest units of the lung that participate in gas exchange. Although gas transport is governed primarily by diffusion due to the small length scales associated with the acinar region (approximately 500 microm), the transport and deposition of inhaled aerosol particles are influenced by convective airflow patterns. Therefore, understanding alveolar fluid flow and mixing is a necessary first step toward predicting aerosol transport and deposition in the human acinar region. In this study, flow patterns and particle transport have been measured using a simplified in-vitro alveolar model consisting of a single alveolus located on a bronchiole. The model comprises a transparent elastic 5/6 spherical cap (representing the alveolus) mounted over a circular hole on the side of a rigid circular tube (representing the bronchiole). The alveolus is capable of expanding and contracting in phase with the oscillatory flow through the tube. Realistic breathing conditions were achieved by exercising the model at physiologically relevant Reynolds and Womersley numbers. Particle image velocimetry was used to measure the resulting flow patterns in the alveolus. Data were acquired for five cases obtained as combinations of the alveolar-wall motion (nondeforming/oscillating) and the bronchiole flow (none/steady/oscillating). Detailed vector maps at discrete points within a given cycle revealed flow patterns, and transport and mixing of bronchiole fluid into the alveolar cavity. The time-dependent velocity vector fields were integrated over multiple cycles to estimate particle transport into the alveolar cavity and deposition on the alveolar wall. The key outcome of the study is that alveolar-wall motion enhances mixing between the bronchiole and the alveolar fluid. Particle transport and deposition into the alveolar cavity are maximized when the alveolar wall oscillates in tandem with the bronchiole fluid, which is the operating case in the human lung.

Flow and Particle Dispersion in a Pulmonary Alveolus—Part II: Effect of Gravity on Particle Transport

The acinar region of the human lung comprises about 300x10(6) alveoli, which are responsible for gas exchange between the lung and the blood. As discussed in Part I (Chhabra and Prasad, "Flow and Particle Dispersion in a Pulmonary Alveolus-Part I: Velocity Measurements and Convective Particle Transport," ASME J. Biomech. Eng., 132, p. 051009), the deposition of aerosols in the acinar region can either be detrimental to gas exchange (as in the case of harmful particulate matter) or beneficial (as in the case of inhalable pharmaceuticals). We measured the flow field inside an in-vitro model of a single alveolus mounted on a bronchiole and calculated the transport and deposition of massless particles in Part I. This paper focuses on the transport and deposition of finite-sized particles ranging from 0.25 microm to 4 microm under the combined influence of flow-induced advection (computed from velocity maps obtained by particle image velocimetry) and gravitational settling. Particles were introduced during the first inhalation cycle and their trajectories and deposition statistics were calculated for subsequent cycles for three different particle sizes (0.25 microm, 1 microm, and 4 microm) and three alveolar orientations. The key outcome of the study is that particles <or=0.25 microm follow the fluid streamlines quite closely, whereas midsize particles (d(p)=1 microm) deviate to some extent from streamlines and exhibit complex trajectories. The motion of large particles >or=4 microm is dominated by gravitational settling and shows little effect of fluid advection. Additionally, small and midsize particles deposit at about two-thirds height in the alveolus irrespective of the gravitational orientation whereas the deposition of large particles is governed primarily by the orientation of the gravity vector.

Some specific features of the decay of solar energetic-particle events

Most events involving solar particles with energies of several megaelectronvolts exhibit exponential decays. Comparison of the observed characteristic decay times τobs with the corresponding values τtheor obtained within theoretical models taking into account convective transport of particles and their adiabatic deceleration showed that the values of τtheor, depending on the surrounding plasma parameters, are reasonably close (within 25%) to τobs in about 50% cases where the solar wind speed V remains constant.

Radiation distributions in TCV

Total radiative powers measured by foil bolometer and AXUV camera systems are compared to SOLPS5 simulations in low and high density deuterium and helium diverted discharges on the TCV tokamak. For low density the match between simulation and measurements is satisfactory, but at high density strongly radiating regions outside the SOLPS5 simulation grid are seen in measurements and this may indicate the presence of enhanced convective particle transport in the low field side midplane region. The chord coverage of the foil bolometer system does not, however, allow detailed resolution in this region. The comparison of foil and AXUV data also demonstrates that ageing of the AXUV diodes under plasma irradiation combined with the unevenness of the diode spectral response, strongly limits their application for total radiative power measurements.

Comparison of particle transport in the scrape-off layer plasmas of Alcator C-Mod and DIII-D

Scrape-off layer (SOL) data from DIII-D and C-Mod have been acquired and analysed for radial particle transport based on a particle balance model. This has allowed a detailed comparison for L-mode plasmas. The inferred radial particle flux, Γ⊥(r), is parameterized in terms of diffusive [Deff(r) ≡ Γ⊥(r)/∇n(r)] and convective particle transport [veff(r) ≡ Γ⊥(r)/n(r)]. The magnitude of the inferred Deff or veff increases across the SOL for both tokamaks. The inferred Deff or veff in the ‘far’ SOL (one density e-folding length from the separatrix and beyond) are essentially unchanged by changes in core density by factors of 2–3. This corresponds to changes in the far SOL density, collisionality (ν*) and radial fluxes of a factor of 10 or more. Thus ν* does not appear to be an important parameter in determining the radial particle transport in that region.The dimensionlessly-scaled SOL plasma profiles from the two tokamaks overlay for similar dimensionless plasma parameters. The SOL density profile near the separatrix is steeper than in the ‘far’ SOL. The scaled Deff and veff are slightly larger on DIII-D than C-Mod. This difference appears to be within experimental uncertainties.Neutral ionization in the SOL does not appear to affect radial transport but may be related to the observed flattening of the density profiles with increasing .

Convective particle transport arising from poloidal inhomogeneity in tokamak H mode

In tokamak high-confinement modes (H modes), a large poloidal flow exists within an edge transport barrier, and the electrostatic potential and density profiles can be steep both in the radial and poloidal directions. The two-dimensional structures of the electrostatic potential, density, and flow velocity near the edge of a tokamak plasma are investigated. The analysis is carried out with the momentum conservation law using the shock ordering. For the case with a strong radial electric field (H-mode case), a particle flux is induced from asymmetry of the poloidal electric field in the transport barrier. This convective transport is found to depend weakly on collisionality, and changes its direction in accordance with the direction of the radial electric field, the toroidal magnetic field, and the plasma current. The divergence of a particle flux is a source of temporal variation of the density, and there are negative divergence regions both in the inward and outward flux cases. Thus this convective particle flux is a new candidate for the cause of the rapid establishment of the density pedestal after the onset of low to high confinement mode (L∕H) transition.

Neoclassical electron transport in tokamaks with neutral-beam injection

The collisional interaction between neutral-beam ions and bulk plasma electrons leads to convective transport of particles and energy similar to the well-known Ware pinch. These transport fluxes are calculated, and it is found that the particle flux is outward when the neutral beams are in the same direction as the plasma current and inward otherwise, while the opposite holds for the electron heat transport. This effectively shifts the neutral-beam fueling profile approximately one fast-ion banana width outward during coinjection and inward during counterinjection, and could help to explain why very different plasma behavior is sometimes observed when the direction of the plasma current is reversed.

A Continuum Theory of Multispecies Thin Solid Film Growth by Chemical Vapor Deposition

A continuum theory for the chemical vapor deposition of thin solid films is proposed, in which a flowing, chemically reacting, gaseous mixture is coupled to the bulk of a growing thin film via the equations that govern the morphological evolution of the interface separating them. The vapor-film interface is viewed as a surface of zero thickness capable of sustaining mass and endowed with thermodynamic variables that account for its distinct structure. We consider situations in which species diffusion and heat conduction occur in all three phases (vapor, bulk and surface), with the former mechanism augmented by the convective transport of particles in the gas. Special attention is given to the chemical reactions that occur both in the vapor and on the film surface. Ours is a conceptual framework based on conservation laws for chemical species, momentum and energy, together with a separate balance of configurational forces. These balances are supplemented by an appropriate version of the second law which is used to develop suitable constitutive relations for each of the phases. In particular, we investigate the case of an elastic film, deposited on a rigid substrate and in contact with a reacting, multispecies, ideal vapor, whose surface behaves like an anisotropic, chemically reactive, multicomponent, ideal lattice gas. In addition to recovering the standard equations that describe the behavior of the gas and film phases, we derive the coupled PDE's that govern the interfacial morphological, chemical, and thermal evolution. In particular, the constitutively augmented interfacial configurational force balance provides a “kinetic relation” linking the thermodynamic “driving force” at the film surface to the growth rate. The special cases of (i) negligible interfacial species densities, and (ii) local (mechanical) equilibrium of both multi- and single-species films are investigated.

Modelling particle mobilization and leaching in macroporous soil

SummaryThe migration of colloidal particles in the unsaturated zone may enhance leaching of sorbing contaminants to surface waters and groundwaters. This paper describes a simple model of particle leaching and translocation based on the dual‐porosity model MACRO. The model includes descriptions of processes such as ‘source‐limited’ particle detachment due to the kinetic energy of rain, replenishment of the depleted store of particles up to a maximum value determined by the amount of dispersible clay in the soil, and convective transport of particles in macropores subject to a filter sink term varying as a function of pore water velocity. Estimates of model parameter values are obtained by comparing simulations with measurements of particle concentrations in the discharge from tile drains made in a silty clay soil in southwest Sweden. Calibrated in this way, the model is shown to reproduce satisfactorily the observations. A sensitivity analysis suggests that the critical parameters in the model are those related to particle filtering during vertical transport in soil macropores.

Deposition of oriented zeolite A films: in situ and secondary growth

Zeolite A suspensions with a monomodal, narrow particle size distribution have been prepared. The suspended particles in a TMAOH water solution at pH 9 are negatively charged with a zeta potential of −43 mV. Modification of the external surface of the zeolite particles by a silylation reaction produces particles that, when they are suspended in water, are positively charged and have a zeta potential of +40 mV. The suspensions of the negatively or positively charged particles can be used for the preparation of adsorbed layers of particles on oppositely charged substrates by electrostatic attraction. This deposition process leads to a high coverage of the substrate with well-adhered particles. The cubic morphology of the zeolite particles results in preferential orientation after deposition. The particles are oriented with their {h 0 0} planes (cube faces) parallel and perpendicular to the substrate (out-of-plane orientation). The particles are randomly oriented with respect to the direction perpendicular to the substrate (in-plane orientation). Although, under optimized conditions, the coverage is high and only one adsorption cycle is necessary, the particles are not closely packed. Alternately, the zeolite particle suspensions can be used to deposit close-packed arrays of particles by convective particle transport during dip coating on substrates bearing the same charge as the zeolite particles. Using monodispersed zeolite A suspensions and slow speed dip coating close-packed hexagonal colloidal crystals were prepared. The type of colloidal crystal deposits formed range from continuous sublayers, monolayers, or multilayers to isolated discoidal clusters consisting of few zeolite particles. Factors affecting the deposited layer(s) structure are particle concentration of the suspension and withdrawal speed. In addition to close packing, the layers prepared by dip coating exhibit preferred orientation with the particle faces lying parallel and perpendicular to the substrate surface. Moreover, this second route of precursor film formation by colloidal crystallization leads to domains of well-aligned zeolite particles in three dimensions, i.e. with their faces parallel to each other. The oriented domains span the length of several particles; however, low angle boundaries and other defects during colloidal crystallization prevent the formation of macroscopically three-dimensionally ordered zeolite particles. The precursor layers were subjected to secondary growth in order to prepare continuous intergrown films. Secondary growth proceeds initially by local epitaxy on the deposited particles. Later in the process, deposition proceeds by incorporation of particles from solution along with re-nucleation on the growing film. The intergrown films have predominately [h 0 0] out-of-plane orientation; however, after extended secondary growth treatment a population of [h h h] grains appears on the surface of the regrown films.

Nature of high-Z impurity accumulation in tokamaks

The recent experiments on accumulative behaviour of heavy impurities in TEXTOR with test limiters of molybdenum and tungsten and puffing of xenon are briefly reviewed. The results of the reconstruction of the transport coefficients of high-Z ions in the accumulation stage are presented. They confirm the neoclassical nature of the convective particle transport, leading to peaking of the impurity density. A mechanism triggering accumulation, invoking the temperature dependence of neoclassical flows of impurities, is discussed and the threshold of accumulation obtained is compared with experimental data. Processes which can lead to a saturation of the accumulation, caused by a modification of the flux component proportional to the temperature gradient, are analysed. The results of numerical modelling for experiments in TEXTOR with different durations and intensities of xenon puffing are presented. The role of high-Z ions under reactor conditions is analysed, and it is shown that in a reactor, such as ITER, the discussed heavy impurity driven instabilities should be suppressed

Model for the Convective Transport of Particles in a Two-Dimensional Cluster

Model for the Convective Transport of Particles in a Two-Dimensional Cluster

Mechanism of formation of two-dimensional crystals from latex particles on substrates

The dynamics of two-dimensional ordering of micrometer-size polystyrene latex spheres on a horizontal glass substrate has been directly observed by means of optical microscopy. It turns out that the ordering starts when the thickness of the water layer containing particles becomes approximately equal to the particle diameter. By variation of the electrolyte concentration, the charge of the particles, and their volume fraction, it is proven that neither the electrostatic repulsion nor the van der Waals attraction between the particles is responsible for the formation of two-dimensional crystals. The direct observations revealed the main factors governing the ordering-the attractive capillary forces (due to the menisci formed around the particles) and the convective transport of particles toward the ordered region. The control of the water evaporation rate turns out to allow obtaining either well-ordered monolayers or well-ordered domains consisting of multilayers (bilayers, trilayers, etc.).

Neoclassical transport of energetic minority tail ions generated by ion-cyclotron resonance heating in tokamak geometry

Neoclassical transport of energetic minority tail ions, which are generated by high-powered electromagnetic waves of the ion cyclotron range of frequencies (ICRF) at the fundamental harmonic resonance, is studied analytically in tokamak geometry. The effect of Coulomb collisions on the tail-ion transport is investigated in the present work. The total tail-ion transport will be the sum of the present collision-driven transport and the wave-driven transport, which is due to the ICRF-wave scattering of the tail particles as reported in the literature. The transport coefficients have been calculated kinetically, and it is found that the large tail-ion viscosity, driven by the localized ICRF-heating and Coulomb slowing-down collisions, induces purely convective particle transport of the tail species, while the energy transport is both convective and diffusive. The rate of radial particle transport is shown to usually be small, but the rate of radial energy transport is larger and may not be negligible compared to the Coulomb slowing-down rate.