Small Biot Number Research Articles

Diffusional falsification of kinetic constants on Lineweaver-Burk plots

The effect of mass transfer resistances on the Lineweaver-Burk plots in immobilized enzyme systems has been investigated numerically and with analytical approximate solutions. While Hamilton, Gardner & Colton (1974) studied the effect of internal diffusion resistances in planar geometry, our study was extended to the combined effect of internal and external diffusion in cylindrical and spherical geometries as well. The variation of Lineweaver-Burk plots with respect to the geometries was minimized by modifying the Thiele modulus and the Biot number with the shape factor. Especially for a small Biot number all the three Lineweaver-Burk plots fell on a single line. As was discussed by Hamilton, et al (1974), the curvature of the line for large external diffusion resistances was small enough to be assumed linear, which was confirmed from the two approximate solutions for large and small substrate concentrations. Two methods for obtaining intrinsic kinetic constants were proposed: First, we obtained both maximum reaction rate and Michaelis constant by fitting experimental data to a straight line where external diffusion resistance was relatively large, and second, we obtained Michaelis constant from apparent Michaelis constant from the figure in case we knew maximum reaction rate a priori.

Analysis of Conduction-Controlled Rewetting of a Vertical Surface

The present paper presents a two-dimensional analysis of conduction-controlled rewetting of a vertical surface, whose initial temperature is greater than the rewetting temperature. The physical model consists of an infinitely extended vertical slab with the surface of the dry region adiabatic and the surface of the wet region associated with a constant heat transfer coefficient. The physical problem is characterized by three parameters: the Peclet number or the dimensionless wetting velocity, the Biot number, and a dimensionless temperature. Limiting solutions for large and small Peclet numbers obtained by utilizing the Wiener-Hopf technique and the kernel-substitution method exhibit simple functional relationships among the three dimensionless parameters. A semi- empirical relation has been established for the whole range of Peclet numbers. The solution for large Peclet numbers possesses a functional form different from existing approximate two-dimensional solutions, while the solution for small Peclet numbers reduces to existing one-dimensional solution for small Biot numbers. Discussion of the present findings has been made with respect to previous analyses and experimental observations.