Numerical investigation of the influence of viscoelasticity on drop deformation in shear
Numerical simulations and experimental data are compared for the investigation of the influence of viscoelasticity on drop deformation in shear. A viscoelastic drop suspended in a Newtonian liquid, or a Newtonian drop suspended in a viscoelastic liquid, is sheared and investigated for transients, relaxation after cessation of shear flow, and step‐up in shear rate. The numerical simulations are conducted at parameters chosen to model the experiments. We use the volume of fluid (VOF) continuum surface force (CSF) algorithm for situations dominated by shear. For drop relaxation experiments, we use the paraboloid representation of the interface in the surface tension force (PROST) algorithm. The Oldroyd‐B and Giesekus constitutive models are implemented. An interesting result is that by stepping up in the capillary number gradually, a stationary states is achieved at higher capillary numbers than without the graduated steps. The experimental work is described in Verhulst, Moldenaers and Cardinaels [l]. We pre...
Effect of interfacial modifier on single drop deformation and breakup in step increasing shear flow
This work deals with in situ visualisation of deformation and breakup of a copolymer modified single Newtonian drop immersed in a Newtonian homogenous matrix. The experiments were carried out on a model system made of poly-isobutylene as the suspending fluid and two poly-dimethylsiloxanes with different molecular weights as the drop phase with viscosity ratios 0.036 and 1.13, below and above but close to unity. Three weight concentrations 0.5%, 2% and 10% of the block copolymer laying below, close to and above the critical concentration of the total drop surface coverage were examined. Single drop deformation experiments were carried out in a home-designed Couette quartz cell connected to a home-modified Paar Physica Rheometer. The variation in the length-to-diameter ratio (L/D) versus shear rate and capillary number was measured both in steady and in transient regimes till breakup. The results indicated a weaker resistance of copolymer modified drops against hydrodynamic stresses at both viscosity ratios as compared to the clean drop. However, the drop deformation was found to be complex and depends on the copolymer concentration and the viscosity ratio.
Effects of reservoir volume on performance of pulse tube cooler.
A pulse tube cooler has the advantages of long-life and low-vibration over conventional cryocoolers such as G-M and Stirling coolers because of the absence of moving parts at low temperature. On the other hand, the combination of a reservoir and orifice is indispensable to optimize the performance of pulse tube coolers. In order to make the pulse tube cooler compact for practical applications, the volume of reservoir should be minimized. This paper analyzes the effects of the reservoir volume on the thermodynamic performance of various components in a simple orifice and a double-inlet pulse tube cooler by combining a linearized model with a thermodynamic analysis. Expressions of entropy production for those components are presented. The results show that the reservoir volume has a significant influence on the entropy production in the various components when the reservoir to pulse tube volume ratio is smaller than about 5. The ratio is important to determine the minimum reservoir volume for a pulse tube cooler. Optimum settings for a double-inlet pulse tube cooler are also discussed.