Longitudinal Mixing Research Articles

On the flow characteristics of nanofluids by experimental approach and molecular dynamics simulation

Employing nanofluids is a novel way to enhance heat transfer. However, the micro-flow enhancement due to the adding of nanoparticles, which is one of the key mechanisms behind heat transfer enhancement in nanofluids, still lacks experimental observation and a microscale-level understanding. The aim of this work was to experimentally research flow characteristics of nanofluids and to explore the microscopic mechanism for micro-flow enhancement by molecular dynamics simulation. Utilizing a wavy-walled tube, the experiment measured flow characteristics and took flow visualization photos of nanofluids in different flow regimes. In addition, internal flow characteristics of nanofluids were simulated by MD method and statistically analyzed. The measuring results for frictional resistance showed that compared to that of de-ionized water the frictional resistance of nanofluids increases slightly in laminar and transition flow regimes, and shows no obvious increase in turbulent regime, which indicates no additional pump work is needed and is advantageous to engineering application. The visualization experiment results showed at the same Reynolds number the adding of nanoparticles causes more homogeneous longitudinal mixing and enhances mass transferring of nanofluids, which indicates the micro-flow in nanofluids is enhanced. And the MD simulation results showed the microscopic mechanism for micro-flow enhancement is mainly because the irregular micro-motions of nanoparticles enhance momentum exchange and increase the intensity of turbulence. The present work suggests the mechanism of micro-flow enhancement in nanofluids, which is the basis of proposing suitable theory to mathematically describe flow of nanofluids.

Mixing of thermally stratified water layer by a free rising wobbling air bubble

The purpose of this research was to provide further insights on bubble-induced agitation of heated bulk liquid. Fundamental studies on the bubble disturbance of a stratified thermal layer were carried out for a 6mm sphere-volume equivalent diameter air bubble suspended in water (Eo=1.2). A video digital image system and thermochromic liquid crystals were used to reproduce the bubble movement as well as the wake drift of the liquid. A three-dimensional interface tracking simulation was used as a numerical tool. The results have revealed a long open wake region that is formed along the fluctuating bubble path. The amplitude of the bubble wake is much larger than that of the bubble path. In addition to longitudinal mixing, strong lateral mixing is also caused by the movement of vortices in the transverse direction. Details of numerical simulations have revealed a wake that tends to form a chain of Omega shaped vortex rings. These “rings” are connected to each other in the near wake region. The coherent effects further downstream lead to more complex vortex patterns in the far wake. The disintegration of the coherent chain of vortices due to bubble surface deformability is highly complex and not clear at this stage. A comparison with liquid crystal temperature response has revealed that the time scale of the mixing is much longer than the ascending bubble residence, approximately 8s as obtained by several experimental runs. A transverse propagation of entrained cold water has given an estimate of the bubble-induced diffusion to be about 170 times larger than the diffusivity of momentum. The bulk liquid agitation cannot be correctly modeled without taking into account the bubble size dependent wake structure.

Fractional deuteration applied to biomolecular solid-state NMR spectroscopy

Solid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance can provide detailed insight into structural and dynamical aspects of complex biomolecules. With increasing molecular size, advanced approaches for spectral simplification and the detection of medium to long-range contacts become of critical relevance. We have analyzed the protonation pattern of a membrane-embedded ion channel that was obtained from bacterial expression using protonated precursors and D2O medium. We find an overall reduction of 50% in protein protonation. High levels of deuteration at Hα and Hβ positions reduce spectral congestion in (1H,13C,15N) correlation experiments and generate a transfer profile in longitudinal mixing schemes that can be tuned to specific resonance frequencies. At the same time, residual protons are predominantly found at amino-acid side-chain positions enhancing the prospects for obtaining side-chain resonance assignments and for detecting medium to long-range contacts. Fractional deuteration thus provides a powerful means to aid the structural analysis of complex biomolecules by solid-state NMR.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10858-011-9585-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Transfer of hyperpolarization from long T 1 storage nuclei to short T 1 neighbors using FLOPSY-8

Nuclei with long T 1s are optimal targets for dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP). Therefore, most of the agents used in metabolic imaging and spectroscopy studies are based on carboxylic acid moieties that lack protons, a strong source of dipolar relaxation. Metabolic flux information encoded into spectra of small molecule metabolites in the form of the 13C isotopomer data cannot be accessed using standard 13C hyperpolarization methods because protonated carbons relax too quickly through T 1 dipolar relaxation. It is shown here that the longitudinal mixing sequence FLOPSY-8 can be used to transfer polarization from a long T 1 storage nucleus to adjacent protonated carbons so that they may be detected with high sensitivity. We demonstrate that FLOPSY-8 allows a direct readout of isotopomer populations in butyrate and glutamate in vitro.

ANFIS-based approach for the estimation of transverse mixing coefficient

Understanding of the fate of pollutants, disposed of in streams, is a matter of concern in recent years for the effective control of pollution. Transverse mixing of the pollutants in open channels is arguably more important than the longitudinal mixing and near-field mixing. Several attempts have been made to establish the relationship between the transverse mixing coefficient and bulk channel and flow parameters such as width, depth, shear velocity, friction factor, curvature and sinuosity. This paper presents adaptive neuro fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) approach to predict the transverse mixing coefficient in open channel flows. Available laboratory and field data for the transverse mixing coefficients covering wide range of channel and flow conditions are used for the development and testing of the proposed method. The proposed ANFIS approach produces satisfactory results (R(2)=0.945) compared to the artificial neural network (ANN) model and existing predictors for mixing coefficient.

AirCore: An Innovative Atmospheric Sampling System

Abstract This work describes the AirCore, a simple and innovative atmospheric sampling system. The AirCore used in this study is a 150-m-long stainless steel tube, open at one end and closed at the other, that relies on positive changes in ambient pressure for passive sampling of the atmosphere. The AirCore evacuates while ascending to a high altitude and collects a sample of the ambient air as it descends. It is sealed upon recovery and measured with a continuous analyzer for trace gas mole fraction. The AirCore tubing can be shaped into a variety of configurations to accommodate any sampling platform; for the testing done in this work it was shaped into a 0.75-m-diameter coil. Measurements of CO2 and CH4 mole fractions in laboratory tests indicate a repeatability and lack of bias to better than 0.07 ppm (one sigma) for CO2 and 0.4 ppb for CH4 under various conditions. Comparisons of AirCore data with flask data from aircraft flights indicate a standard deviation of differences of 0.3 ppm and 5 ppb for CO2 and CH4, respectively, with no apparent bias. Accounting for longitudinal mixing, the expected measurement resolution for CO2 is 110 m at sea level, 260 m at 8000 m, and 1500 m at 20 000 m ASL after 3 h of storage, decreasing to 170, 390, and 2300 m, after 12 h. Validation tests confirm that the AirCore is a robust sampling device for many species on a variety of platforms, including balloons, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and aircraft.

Low-power adiabatic sequences for in vivo localized two-dimensional chemical shift correlated MR spectroscopy.

Novel low-power adiabatic sequences are demonstrated for in vivo localized two-dimensional correlated MR spectroscopy, such as correlated spectroscopy and total correlated spectroscopy. The design is based on three new elements for in vivo two-dimensional MRS: the use of gradient modulated constant adiabaticity GOIA-W(16,4) pulses for (i) localization (correlated spectroscopy and total correlated spectroscopy) and (ii) mixing (total correlated spectroscopy), and (iii) the use of longitudinal mixing (z-filter) for magnetization transfer during total correlated spectroscopy. GOIA-W(16,4) provides accurate signal localization, and more importantly, lowers the SAR for both total correlated spectroscopy mixing and localization. Longitudinal mixing improves considerably (fivefolds) the efficiency of total correlated spectroscopy transfer. These are markedly different from previous 1D editing total correlated spectroscopy sequences using spatially nonselective pulses and transverse mixing. Fully adiabatic (adiabatic mixing with adiabatic localization) and semiadiabatic (adiabatic mixing with nonadiabatic localization) methods for two-dimensional total correlated spectroscopy are compared. Results are presented for simulations, phantoms, and in vivo two-dimensional spectra from healthy volunteers and patients with brain tumors obtained on 3T clinical platforms equipped with standard hardware. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of in vivo adiabatic two-dimensional total correlated spectroscopy and fully adiabatic two-dimensional correlated spectroscopy. It is expected that these methodological developments will advance the in vivo applicability of multi(spectrally)dimensional MRS to reliably identify metabolic biomarkers.

Estimation of the number of trays for natural gas triethylene glycol dehydration column

The paper deals with the tray-to-tray method for determining the required number of trays in columns with intensive entrainment of liquid when the operating line of the “dry working regime” is not straight and with a small concentration of diffusing component in gas. Presented calculations show that the number of transfer units for gas and liquid should be calculated using the AIChE method accompanied with longitudinal mixing according to Gilbert properly transformed for case of diffusion through stagnant film. The suggested method can be applied for TEG dehydration absorbers–columns for dehydration of natural gas using triethylene glycol with system factor SF = 0.5.

The axial mixing influence on the number stages of countercurrent absorbers in absorbing NH3-CO2-H2O mixture in NaCl-H2O system

This paper investigates the influence of axial or longitudinal mixing of stages on the number stages in a countercurrent absorber in absorbing vapour-gas mixture of NH3-CO2-H2O in the multicomponent system NaCl-H2O. The number stages in ideal mixing of phases NT and the number of stages which involves axial mixing ND were determined. The authors of this paper conclude that the influence of axial mixing does not affect the number stages in the countercurrent absorber. Otherwise, absorption in this concrete system is practically present in the process of soda ash production.

Effects of emergent and submerged natural vegetation on longitudinal mixing in open channel flow

An awareness of mixing processes is imperative in understanding the transport of pollutants in open channel flows, important for environmental impact studies. To date, controlled laboratory studies of the effects of vegetation on mixing processes have used simulated plants. This may neglect some of the important variables introduced by the presence of natural vegetation. In this study natural vegetation was planted within a laboratory channel, and a series of experiments quantifying velocity, turbulence, and longitudinal mixing were conducted over a time period sufficient to allow growth of the vegetation to impact on the mixing processes. In emergent conditions the results generally confirmed previous artificial vegetation and modeling studies, showing that vegetation reduces the magnitude of longitudinal shear dispersion. Additionally, measureable change in longitudinal mixing was observed primarily as a function of flow depth but also of plant age. Normalization using previously suggested parameter combinations failed to yield predictive trends. Submerged tests uniquely covered natural vegetation with a significant wake zone, and from this it was observed that longitudinal mixing is primarily a function of the degree of submergence. Overall, this paper presents a new data set quantifying the effects of natural vegetation on longitudinal mixing processes and illustrating deficiencies in previous understanding and predictive expressions based on idealized artificial vegetation.

Mixing coefficients for longitudinal and vertical mixing in the near field of a surface pollutant discharge

Laboratory experiments conducted in a rectangular open channel on passive mixing of pollutants in longitudinal and vertical directions due to a transverse line source on the flow surface are reported. A finite numerical difference scheme developed by the authors was extended to determine optimum values of longitudinal and vertical mixing coefficients from the observed concentration versus time curves. The vertical mixing coefficient was also computed from the measured velocity distribution and compared with the derived optimum. The velocity distribution-based values of vertical mixing coefficient corresponds well with the optimum derived using the numerical scheme. Through a sensitivity analysis, the errors in the predicted concentration versus time curves are quantified by using the numerical scheme proposed by the authors for two-dimensional dispersion in streams. The sensitivity analysis indicated that predictions of concentration versus time curves can be made with a maximum error of about ±30% if a ±100% error is contained in the values of longitudinal and vertical mixing coefficients.

Molecular characterization and quantification using state of the art solid-state adiabatic TOBSY NMR in burn trauma

We describe a novel solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) method that maximizes the advantages of high-resolution magic-angle-spinning (HRMAS), relative conventional liquid-state NMR approaches, when applied to intact biopsies of skeletal muscle specimens collected from burn trauma patients. This novel method, termed optimized adiabatic TOtal through Bond correlation SpectroscopY (TOBSY) solid-state NMR pulse sequence for two-dimensional (2D)1H-1H homonuclear scalar-coupling longitudinal isotropic mixing, was demonstrated to provide a 40–60% improvement in signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) relative to its liquid-state analogue TOCSY (TOtal Correlation SpectroscopY). Using 1-and 2-dimensional HRMAS NMR experiments, we identified several metabolites in burned tissues. Quantification of metabolites in burned tissues showed increased levels of lipid compounds, intracellular metabolites (e.g., taurine and phosphocreatine) and substantially decreased water-soluble metabolites (e.g., glutathione, carnosine, glucose, glutamine/glutamate and alanine). These findings demonstrate that HRMAS NMR Spectroscopy using TOBSY is a feasible technique that reveals new insights into the pathophysiology of burn trauma. Moreover, this method has applications that facilitate the development of novel therapeutic strategies.

Finite volume model for steady-state transverse mixing in streams

Transverse mixing is arguably more important in water quality management than either vertical or longitudinal mixing, especially when dealing with the discharge of pollutants from point sources or the mixing of tributary inflows. A finite volume model with upwind scheme is developed to solve the equation for transverse mixing in steady flow in prismatic channel. The model takes care of variation of transverse mixing coefficient across the channel width. The model has been verified with analytical solutions for constant mixing coefficient and for pollutant injection in the middle and near the bank of streams. The model is inherently mass conservative and captures successfully the discontinuity existing at the upstream boundary. Effect of variable transverse mixing coefficient on the pollutant concentration profiles has been shown for a typical cross-section of the Lesser Slave River. It is found that the computed concentration profiles for variable transverse mixing coefficient are significantly different from those for constant coefficient.

Solid-state NMR adiabatic TOBSY sequences provide enhanced sensitivity for multidimensional high-resolution magic-angle-spinning 1H MR spectroscopy

We propose a solid-state NMR method that maximizes the advantages of high-resolution magic-angle-spinning (HRMAS) applied to intact biopsies when compared to more conventional liquid-state NMR approaches. Theoretical treatment, numerical simulations and experimental results on intact human brain biopsies are presented. Experimentally, it is proven that an optimized adiabatic TOBSY (TOtal through Bond correlation SpectroscopY) solid-state NMR pulse sequence for two-dimensional 1H– 1H homonuclear scalar-coupling longitudinal isotropic mixing provides a 20%–50% improvement in signal-to-noise ratio relative to its liquid-state analogue TOCSY (TOtal Correlation SpectroscopY). For this purpose we have refined the C 9 15 1 symmetry-based 13C TOBSY pulse sequence for 1H MRS use and compared it to MLEV-16 TOCSY sequence. Both sequences were rotor-synchronized and implemented using WURST-8 adiabatic inversion pulses. As discussed theoretically and shown in simulations, the improved magnetization-transfer comes from actively removing residual dipolar couplings from the average Hamiltonian. Importantly, the solid-state NMR techniques are tailored to perform measurements at low temperatures where sample degradation is reduced. This is the first demonstration of such a concept for HRMAS metabolic profiling of disease processes, including cancer, from biopsies requiring reduced sample degradation for further genomic analysis.

Femtosecond electron-bunch dynamics in laser wakefields and vacuum

Recent advances in laser wakefield acceleration demonstrated the generation of extremely short (with a duration of a few femtoseconds) relativistic electron bunches with relatively low (of the order of couple of percent) energy spread. In this article we study the dynamics of such bunches in drift space (vacuum) and in channel-guided laser wakefields. Analytical solutions were found for the transverse coordinate of an electron and for the bunch envelope in the wakefield in the case of arbitrary change in the energy. Our results show strong bunch dynamics already on a millimeter scale propagation distance both in plasma and in vacuum. When the bunch propagates in vacuum, its transverse sizes grow considerably; the same is observed for the normalized bunch emittance that worsens the focusability of the bunch. A scheme of two-stage laser wakefield accelerator with small drift space between the stages is proposed. It is found that fast longitudinal betatron phase mixing occurs in a femtosecond bunch when it propagates along the wakefield axis. When bunch propagates off axis, strong bunch decoherence and fast emittance degradation due to the finite bunch length was observed.

Scale dependence of mineral dissolution rates within single pores and fractures

The possibility that gradients in concentration may develop within single pores and fractures, potentially giving rise to scale-dependent mineral dissolution rates, was investigated with experimentally validated reactive transport modeling. Three important subsurface mineral phases that dissolve at widely different rates, calcite, plagioclase, and iron hydroxide, were considered. Two models for analyzing mineral dissolution kinetics within a single pore were developed: (1) a Poiseuille Flow model that applies laboratory-measured dissolution kinetics at the pore or fracture wall and couples this to a rigorous treatment of both advective and diffusive transport within the pore, and (2) a Well-Mixed Reactor model that assumes complete mixing within the pore, while maintaining the same reactive surface area, average flow rate, geometry, and multicomponent chemistry as the Poiseuille Flow model. For the case of a single fracture, a 1D Plug Flow Reactor model was also considered to quantify the effects of longitudinal versus transverse mixing. Excellent agreement was obtained between results from the Poiseuille Flow model and microfluidic laboratory experiments in which pH 4 and 5 solutions were flowed through a single 500μm diameter by 4000μm long cylindrical pore in calcite. The numerical modeling and time scale analysis indicated that rate discrepancies arise primarily where concentration gradients develop under two necessary conditions: (1) comparable rates of reaction and advective transport, and (2) incomplete mixing via molecular diffusion. For plagioclase and iron hydroxide, the scaling effects are negligible at the single pore and fracture scale because of their slow rates. In the case of calcite, where dissolution rates are rapid, scaling effects can develop at high flow rates from 0.1 to 1000cm/s and for fracture lengths less than 1cm. Under more normal flow conditions where flow is usually slower than 0.001cm/s, however, mixing via molecular diffusion is effective in homogenizing the concentration field, thus eliminating any discrepancies between the Poiseuille Flow and the Well-Mixed Reactor model. The analysis suggests that concentration gradients are unlikely to develop within single pores and fractures under typical geological/hydrologic conditions, implying that the discrepancy between laboratory and field rates must be attributed to other factors.

Analytical estimates of hydraulic parameters for an urbanized estuary – Flushing Bay

Summary Prediction of water quality improvements in urban estuaries is an urgent priority for decision making about alternative mitigation measures, especially in the context of changing pollutant loadings and freshwater discharges. Flushing Bay, an embayment of the New York–New Jersey Harbor Estuary, is a “short” estuary (a special class of coastal plain estuary with specific geometric characteristics), in which source loading is changing and little is known about resultant mixing processes and characteristics. First-order values of longitudinal dispersion coefficient, tidal excursion and tidal prism for this estuary have been estimated from non-synoptic salinity data using an adaptation of a one-dimensional theoretical salinity intrusion model. Results indicate that ranges of longitudinal dispersion coefficient are highly dependent on estimates of groundwater discharge, and the spatial distribution of salinity and dispersion coefficient values is most sensitive to conditions at low water slack (LWS). These findings represent a starting point for further investigation of either groundwater discharge to the bay using numerical modeling or field studies of longitudinal dispersion coefficient and mixing using sophisticated tracer methods.

Modelling counter-current and dual counter-current chromatography using longitudinal mixing cell and eluting counter-current distribution models

Two well known approaches are considered to analyze the processes of counter-current and dual counter-current chromatography: the longitudinal mixing cell model and the Craig's counter-current distribution model. The cell model represents perfectly mixed, equally sized cells in series. The number of cells characterizes the rates of longitudinal mixing in the stationary and mobile phases. In the eluting counter-current distribution (CCD) model, the CCC process is considered as a continuous form of Craig's counter-current distribution. For a cascade of equilibrium stages theoretical elution profiles of the CCC process by using the CCD and cell model approaches have been compared. It is shown that in general, distribution functions of the CCD and cell models differ. It is established that the distribution of a solute between two solvent phases in the dual CCC process is determined by the extraction factor c, the total number of equilibrium stages n and the position of the sample inlet m by the equation Q x = (1 − c m)/(1 − c n + 1 ) with c = F 2 K D/ F 1 ( K D, F 1, F 2 and Q x are the distribution constant, the phase flow-rates and the portion of solute eluted by the first phase, respectively).

Importance of advective zone in longitudinal mixing experiments

One-dimensional Fickian dispersion models such as the advection diffusion equation (ADE) are commonly used to analyse and predict concentration distributions downstream of contamination events in watercourses. Such models are only valid once the tracer had entered the equilibrium zone. This paper compares previous theoretical, experimental and numerical estimates of the distance to reach the equilibrium zone with new experimental values, obtained by examining the change of skewness in a tracer profile, downstream of a cross-sectionally well mixed source. Closer agreement was found with Fischers’ theoretical estimate than prior experimental and numerical studies.

ANALYSIS OF AXIAL MIXING IN A GAS-LIQUID RECIPROCATING PLATE COLUMN

Axial mixing in the continuous phase in a Landau reciprocating-plate column (LRPC) has been investigated for both single-phase and two-phase gas-liquid flow conditions. A hydrodynamic model is proposed in which axial mixing is described as a process consisting of a backflow through the plate plus longitudinal mixing within the stage. The region in the proximity of the plates is almost perfectly mixed, beyond which there is a low-intensity mixing zone that varies in height and degree of mixing depending on phase velocities as well as the plates design and oscillation velocity. The presence of the dispersed phase affects axial mixing in both the well- and poorly mixed regions of each stage in two opposite ways: it decreases the backflow between the stages due to the hindrance effect caused by the presence of gas bubbles, and it increases the axial dispersion coefficient in the second stage by increasing the turbulence and phase entrainment caused by circulation and bubbles rising. The model adjustable parameters were determined from an experimentally measured dispersion coefficient over a wide range of operating conditions using the transient tracer injection method. The predictions of the model compare favorably with experimental data and can be applied for describing axial mixing in the continuous phase in an LRPC with±14% accuracy.