Function Of Energy Dissipation Rate Research Articles

An energy model on particle detachment in the turbulent field

A flotation detachment model is developed by considering energy balance in the process. Energies concerned are surface energy increment and kinetic energy supplied by turbulent liquid motion. Surface energy increment is the work of adhesion by surface forces which is reflected by surface tension and contact angle. What makes this model outstanding from other detachment models of energy balance perspective is more accurate account of kinetic energy supplied from turbulent liquid motion. Eddies in the same scale as attached particles are considered accountable for particle detachment in the close vicinity. In this way, detachment probability is written as a function of energy dissipation rate. Predictions from different models are compared to experimental results. It is demonstrated that previous models overestimate the influence from turbulent liquid motion. Notably, with more accurate account of eddies’ influence, the new model predicts particle detachment in accordance with experimental results.

Study of robustness of filamentous bacteriophages for industrial applications

The development of a whole new class of industrial agents, such as biologically based nanomaterials and viral vectors, has raised many challenges for their large-scale manufacture, principally due to the lack of essential physical data and bioprocessing knowledge. A new example is the promise of filamentous bacteriophages and their derivatives. As a result, there is now an increasing need for the establishment of strong biochemical engineering foundations to serve as a guide for future manufacture. This article investigates the effect of high-energy fluid flow on filamentous bacteriophage M13 to determine its robustness for large-scale processing. By the application of well-understood ultra scale-down predictive techniques, the viability of bacteriophage M13 was studied as a measure of its robustness and as a function of energy dissipation rate and fluid conditions. These experiments suggested that despite being perceived as a relatively fragile molecule in the literature, bacteriophage M13 should tolerate processing conditions in existing large-scale equipment designs. No loss of viability was noted up to a maximum energy dissipation rate of 2.9 × 10(6) W kg(-1) . Furthermore, significant losses above this threshold only occurred over periods well in excess of the exposure times expected in a bioprocess environment. Filamentous bacteriophages may therefore be regarded as a viable process material for industrial applications.

Evaluating Chemical Dispersant Efficacy in an Experimental Wave Tank: 1, Dispersant Effectiveness as a Function of Energy Dissipation Rate

Numerous laboratory test systems have been developed for the comparison of efficacy between various chemical oil dispersant formulations. However, for the assessment of chemical dispersant effectiveness under realistic sea state, test protocols are required to produce hydrodynamic conditions close to the mixing, transport, and dilution effects found in the natural environment. To this end, we have designed and constructed an experimental wave tank system capable of generating waves of different energy levels, ranging from regular nonbreaking waves to plunging breakers. The hydrodynamics of these wave conditions were characterized using an autocorrelation function method applied to in situ velocity measurements. We report here an investigation of the effectiveness of two chemical dispersants (Corexit 9500 and SPC 1000) on two crude oils (weathered MESA and fresh ANS) under three different wave conditions in the wave tank operated in batch mode. Corexit 9500 dispersed approximately 75% of the weathered MESA and more than 90% of the fresh ANS crude, and SPC 1000 dispersed about 53 and 64%, respectively. Under control conditions (absence of chemical dispersant), only 10 to 20% of the crude oils were dispersed. Quantitative relationships were established between dispersant effectiveness and energy dissipation rate under the different simulated wave conditions. These relationships are essential for the development of accurate predictive models on dispersant effectiveness and operational guidelines for dispersant use.

Energy Concept for Predicting Hydraulic Jump Aeration Efficiency

Hydraulic jumps, plunging jets and stepped channels are generally used as energy dissipators and self-aerators. Accordingly, it is expected to find a positive correlation between the aeration efficiency and energy dissipation. For this purpose, hydraulic jump self-aeration efficiency has been investigated with the function of energy dissipation rate per unit width. The hydraulic jump data revealed a positive linear relationship between the aeration efficiency and energy dissipation rate. This new procedure could have practical implications for predicting hydraulic jump aeration efficiency.

The minimization of non-equilibrium plasma source at high pressure

The density of plasma produced by atmospheric non-equilibrium plasma source is the function of energy dissipation rate in ionization electric field and gas particles momentum. The experiment shows that the plasma density highly rises with the increasing of energy dissipation rate and gas particles momentum. When the energy dissipation rate of activation field is 2.18 Wh/m3 and the average gas particles momentum is 109×10−22 g·m/s, the air throughput of plasma source whose volume is only 2.5 cm3 can be up to 12 m3/h and the density of plasma can be up to 1010 cm−3. The research can develop a method of producing minitype plasma source which is low energy consumption but high ion concentration used for chemical industry, environmental engineering and military.

PARTICLE SIZE ANALYSIS OF DISPERSED OIL AND OIL‐MINERAL AGGREGATES WITH AN AUTOMATED ULTRAVIOLET EPI‐FLUORESCENCE MICROSCOPY SYSTEM

This paper describes recent advances in microscopic analysis for quantitative measurement of oil droplets. Integration of a microscope with bright‐field and ultraviolet epi‐fluorescence illumination (excitation wavelengths 340–380 nm; emission wavelengths 400–430 nm) fitted with a computer‐controlled motorized stage, a high resolution digital camera, and new image‐analysis software, enables automatic acquisition of multiple images and facilitates efficient counting and sizing of oil droplets. Laboratory experiments were conducted with this system to investigate the size distribution of chemically dispersed oil droplets and oil‐mineral aggregates in baffled flasks that have been developed for testing chemical dispersant effectiveness. Image acquisition and data processing methods were developed to illustrate the size distribution of chemically dispersed oil droplets, as a function of energy dissipation rate in the baffled flasks, and the time‐dependent change of the morphology and size distribution of oil‐mineral aggregates. As a quantitative analytical tool, epi‐fluorescence microscopy shows promise for application in research on oil spill response technologies, such as evaluating the effectiveness of chemical dispersant and characterizing the natural interaction between oil and mineral fines and other suspended particulate matters.

OIL DROPLET SIZE DISTRIBUTION AS A FUNCTION OF ENERGY DISSIPATION RATE IN AN EXPERIMENTAL WAVE TANK

ABSTRACT The U.S. National Research Council (NRC) Committee on Understanding Oil Spill Dispersants: Efficacy and Effects (2005) identified two factors that require further investigation in chemical oil dispersant efficacy studies: 1) quantification of mixing energy at sea as energy dissipation rate and 2) dispersed particle size distribution. To fully evaluate the significance of these factors, a wave tank facility was designed and constructed to conduct controlled oil dispersion studies. A factorial experimental design was used to study the dispersant effectiveness as a function of energy dissipation rate for two oils and two dispersants under three different wave conditions, namely regular non-breaking waves, spilling breakers, and plunging breakers. The oils tested were weathered MESA and fresh ANS crude. The dispersants tested were Corexit 9500 and SPC 1000 plus water for no-dispersant control. The wave tank surface energy dissipatation rates of the three waves were determined to be 0.005, 0.1, and 1 m2/s3, respectively. The dispersed oil concentrations and droplet size distribution, measured by in-situ laser diffraction, were compared to quantify the chemical dispersant effectiveness as a function of energy dissipation rate. The results indicate that high energy dissipation rate of breaking waves enhanced chemical dispersant effectiveness by significantly increasing dispersed oil concentration and reducing droplet sizes in the water column (p <0.05). The presence of dispersants and breaking waves stimulated the oil dispersion kinetics. The findings of this research are expected to provide guidance to disperant application on oil spill responses.

DISPERSANT EFFECTIVENESS AS A FUNCTION OF ENERGY DISSIPATION RATE IN AN EXPERIMENTAL WAVE TANK

ABSTRACT In 2005, the National Research Council (NRC) published a comprehensive treatise on oil spill dispersants. Among other things, it concluded that research on dispersion effectiveness as a function of energy dissipation rate and particle size distribution was a high priority. Energy dissipation rate (turbulence and existence of breaking waves) is important to initiate and promote effective dispersion, and the particle size distribution of dispersed oil droplets affects dispersion and the ultimate fate of oil in the water column. In this paper, we discuss the use of a wave tank built on the premises of the Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada as part of collaborative research begun in 2003 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO). This tank is able to produce breaking waves of various energy levels at precise locations in the tank. We studied the effects of 2 commercial dispersants (Corexit 9500 and SPC 1000) and a no dispersant control on two different crude oils (unweathered Alaska North Slope and weathered MESA Light) at 3 different energy dissipation rates (regular non-breaking waves, spilling breakers, and plunging breakers), amounting to 18 different treatments. We quantified the energy dissipation rates under those 3 wave conditions and measured oil dispersion in a factorial experiment involving 3 replicates of the 18 treatments over the course of the summer of 2006. Results clearly showed the importance of wave energy and the presence of a chemical dispersant on the ability to produce effective dispersion of oil into the water column. The presence of dispersants at increasing wave energies produced significantly better dispersion (p <0.05) than the no-dispersant controls. This study was conducted under batch conditions. Future work will be done under continuous flow conditions.

The relationship between oil droplet size and upper ocean turbulence

Oil spilled at sea often forms oil droplets in stormy conditions. This paper examines possible mechanisms which generate the oil droplets. When droplet Reynolds numbers are large, the dynamic pressure force of turbulent flows is the cause of droplet breakup. Using dimensional analysis, Hinze (1955, A.I.Ch.E. Journal 1, 289–295) obtained a formula for the maximum size of oil droplets that can survive the pressure force. When droplet Reynolds numbers are small, however, viscous shear associated with small turbulent eddies is the cause of breakup. For the shear mechanism, we obtain estimates of droplet size as a function of energy dissipation rate, the ratio of oil-to-water viscosity and the surface tension coefficient. The two formulae are applied to oil spills in the ocean. At dissipation rates expected in breaking waves, the pressure force is the dominant breakup mechanism and can generate oil droplets with radii of hundreds of microns. However, when chemical dispersants are used to treat an oil slick and significantly reduce the oil-water interfacial tension, viscous shear is the dominant breakup mechanism and oil droplets with radii of tens of microns can be generated. Viscous shear is also the mechanism for disintegrating water-in-oil emulsions and the size of a typical emulsion blob is estimated to be tens of millimeters.