Experimental study of aerosol oscillations in an open tube in the shock-free wave mode

Forced longitudinal oscillations of a finely dispersed aerosol in an open tube in the shock-free wave mode near the first fundamental frequency have been studied experimentally. The time dependences of the numerical concentration of the aerosol droplets have been obtained. The effect of the frequency and amplitudes of the excitation on the aerosol clearing, which consists of coagulation, sedimentation on the tube walls, and partial ejection of the aerosol droplets from the open end of the tube, has been studied. It has been shown that the process of aerosol clearing occurs 6–12 times more efficiently than natural sedimentation.     

The Dynamics of an Aerosol in an Open Tube under Oscillations of Various Intensities near Resonance

The dynamics of an aerosol in an open tube under the action of acoustic waves of various intensities near the first eigenfrequency in the transient mode, when shock waves are not formed, was experimentally studied. The time–pressure profiles of the aerosol were obtained, whose shape becomes somewhat different from the harmonic one only at resonance. The time of aerosol clearing for different frequencies and the piston-displacement amplitudes is determined. It is demonstrated that the dependence of the aerosol clearing time on frequency with a minimum at the first eigenfrequency is nonmonotonic in character. In the transition mode, the aerosol clearing occurs 1.5 times faster than in the shock-free wave mode with the same piston-displacement amplitudes.     

Voltage-controlled double-resonance quartz oscillator using variable-capacitance diode

In this work, we present a variable-frequency quartz crystal oscillator that is able to oscillate at LC resonance under frequency locking of a quartz crystal resonance, with the frequency tuning realized by variable-capacitance diodes. This circuit shows a steep transition between LC oscillation modes to quartz crystal double-resonance, which shows a characteristic change in the oscillation frequency. Control voltage of this diode is precisely adjusted from the low side to higher values and conversely in the vicinity of the oscillation mode transition. The transition of the oscillation modes is experimentally demonstrated and compared with an algebraic analysis.     

Spherical particle dynamics at oscillations in tubes in the shock wave field

The behavior of spherical particles with various geometric and physical parameters is experimentally investigated at the stimulated longitudinal gas oscillations in closed and opened tubes as well as in the external wave field near subharmonic resonances. The temporal dependences of the oscillating particle coordinate are obtained for different tube lengths and excitement frequencies. It is shown that, inside the tube, a particle moves, performing the longitudinal oscillations, from the opened end to the piston. Outside the tube, a particle moves from the opened end to the external wave field, without oscillations and with nonlinear coordinate increase in time. Also investigated is the influence of the particle weight and diameter and of the gas excitement frequency on the oscillation amplitude of the particle and its average velocity. The nonmonotone character revealed the dependence of the average velocity of the spherical particle on the gaseous column oscillation frequency at passing through the subharmonic resonance frequencies.     

The influence of finite end screens on the spectrum of oscillations in cylindrical quasioptical dielectric resonators

We have studied the influence of finite dimensions of the end screens on the spectrum of whispering gallery modes in a teflon cylindrical quasioptical resonator. The dependence of the resonance oscillation frequency on the radius of conducting end screens is determined for the first time. Variation of the screen radius leads to transformation of the axial index of HE modes.     

Structure and dynamics of water-in-oil microemulsions near the critical and percolation points

The three-component ionic microemulsion system consisting of AOT/water/ decane shows an interesting phase behavior in the vicinity of room temperature. The phase diagram in the temperature-volume fraction (of the dispersed phase) plane exhibits a lower consolute critical point at about 40°C and 8% volume fraction. A percolation line, starting from the vicinity of the critical point, cuts across the plane, extending to the high-volume fraction side at progressively lower temperatures. This phase behavior can be understood in terms of a system of polydispersed spherical water droplets, each coated by a monolayer of AOT, dispersed in a continuum of oil. These droplets interact with each other via a hard-core plus a short-range attractive interaction, the strength of which increases with temperature. We show that Baxter's sticky-sphere model can account quantitatively for the phase behavior, including the percolation line, provided that the stickiness parameter is a suitable function of temperature. We use the structure factors measured by small-angle neutron scattering below the critical temperature to determine this functional dependence. We also investigate the dynamics of droplets, below and approaching the critical and percolation points, by dynamic light scattering. Both theQ dependence of the first cumulant and the time evolution of the droplet density correlation function can be quantitatively calculated by assuming the existence of polydispersed fractal clusters formed by the microemulsion droplets due to attraction.Invited paper presented at the Twelfth Symposium on Thermophysical Properties, June 19–24, 1994, Boulder, Colorado, USA.     

Aerosol counterflow two-jets unit for continuous measurement of the soluble fraction of atmospheric aerosols

A new type of aerosol collector employing a liquid at laboratory temperature for continuous sampling of atmospheric particles is described. The collector operates on the principle of a Venturi scrubber. Sampled air flows at high linear velocity through two Venturi nozzles "atomizing" the liquid to form two jets of a polydisperse aerosol of fine droplets situated against each other. Counterflow jets of droplets collide, and within this process, the aerosol particles are captured into dispersed liquid. Under optimum conditions (air flow rate of 5 L/min and water flow rate of 2 mL/min), aerosol particles down to 0.3 microm in diameter are quantitatively collected in the collector into deionized water while the collection efficiency of smaller particles decreases. There is very little loss of fine aerosol within the aerosol counterflow two-jets unit (ACTJU). Coupling of the aerosol collector with an annular diffusion denuder located upstream of the collector ensures an artifact-free sampling of atmospheric aerosols. Operation of the ACTJU in combination with on-line detection devices allows in situ automated analysis of water-soluble aerosol species (e.g., NO2-, NO3-)with high time resolution (as high as 1 s). Under the optimum conditions, the limit of detection for particulate nitrite and nitrate is 28 and 77 ng/m(3), respectively. The instrument is sufficiently rugged for its application at routine monitoring of aerosol composition in the real time.     

Simulation and numerical investigations of the kinetics of atmospheric aerosol droplets in the wake behind a flat plate

Within the framework of the physicomathematical model of evolution of a polydisperse condensate, numerical investigations of the kinetics of atmospheric aerosol droplets in a supersonic two-phase flow past a flat plate were carried out. The gas flow was described by the Reynolds equations with the use of the two-parameter turbulence model. In view of the smallness of the condensate mass fraction in the incoming flow, the inverse effect of the dispersed phase on the gas was not considered. For various regimes of exposure to a flow, the characteristic features of the spatial distribution of the main parameters of the condensate fractions have been studied: the number densities, radii, temperatures, and averaged velocities of microdrops. The dependence of the dispersed phase dynamics on the Mach number and the incoming flow angle of attack has been investigated and the influence of the allowance for the processes of coagulation/fragmentation on the mass spectrum of droplets is shown. Translated from Inzhenerno-Fizicheskii Zhurnal, Vol. 82, No. 2, pp. 331–341, March–April, 2009.     

Gallium-assisted growth of silicon nanowires by electron cyclotron resonance plasmas

The use of gallium droplets for growing Si nanowires (SiNWs) by electron cyclotron resonance plasmas is investigated. First, the relationship between evaporation time and resultant size of the gallium droplets is studied. Through the use of spectroscopic ellipsometry, the dependence of the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) energy on the droplet size is determined. From these gallium droplets, SiNWs were grown at 300 and 550?°C in electron cyclotron resonance plasmas containing SiH(4), Ar, and H(2). Scanning electron microscopy results show that tapered NWs are obtained for a wide range of growth conditions. Besides, it is found that H(2) plays an important role in the parasitic axial growth of the SiNWs. Namely, H(2) inhibits the radial growth and contributes dramatically to increasing the SiNW defects.     

Explosion generation of microatomized liquid-drop aerosols and their evolution

The formation of a microatomized aerosol was investigated with the use of a model of an explosion atomizer based on a hydrodynamic shock tube with atomization through a clearance (nozzle). It is shown that the cavitation of the liquid subjected to atomization plays a great role in the production of a microatomized liquid-drop aerosol. A mathematical model describing the genesis of an aerosol cloud is proposed. The time of propagation of a compression wave in the liquid subjected to atomization and the time of its outflow from the atomizer were estimated, the size distribution of the aerosol particles was constructed, and the dependence of this distribution on the coagulation, evaporation, and precipitation of the aerosol particles was determined. A technique for undisturbed measurement of the genesis of an aerosol is described. Results of an experimental investigation of the dispersion parameters of an aerosol and the processes of formation and propagation of an aerosol cloud produced as a result of the explosion atomization of a liquid are presented.     

Influence of the solvent evaporation rate on the β-Phase content of electrosprayed PVDF particles and films studied by a fast Multi-Overtone QCM

A combination of an electrospray setup and a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D) was employed to study the drying of droplets of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) dissolved in dimethylformamide (DMF). A novel variant of the QCM was used, which interrogates the resonance frequency and the resonance bandwidth on four overtones at the same time, achieving a time resolution of 2 ms. This instrument allowed to elucidate the mechanism of β-phase formation in electrospray deposition of PVDF. When the distance between the nozzle and the substrate was small, the droplets landed in a partially wet state, as evidenced from an increase in the resonance bandwidth. No such increase in bandwidth was observed when the distance was large. From the flight time (milliseconds) and the drying time on the substrate (seconds), one concludes that drying in the plume is faster than drying on the substrate. IR spectra show that the β–phase content is close to 100 % for particles, which dried in the plume. It is less than 50 % for particles having dried on the substrate. Fast drying promotes the formation of the β-phase. Follow-up experiments with thicker films on steel substrates also show increased β-phase content for larger distances.     

Generation of Aerosol Plasma in the Process of Volume Condensation in a Cloud of Surface Explosion Products

The paper deals with the process of formation of condensation aerosol and its effect on the concentration of electrons and negative and positive ions in a cloud of surface explosion products at the cooling stage. The subject of investigation is a heterogeneous mixture of vapors of mineral substances of soil, noncondensing gases (largely air), and unevaporated soil particles. A model is suggested of the process of volume condensation of soil vapors. The degree of effect of volume condensation on the concentration of electrons and ions was determined by comparing the electron concentrations calculated in view of and disregarding the thermal emission by aerosol droplets. It is found that a nonmonotonic temperature dependence of electron concentration with the presence of a minimum and a maximum is observed in the region of formation of condensation aerosol, as well as a significant (by several orders of magnitude) excess of the value of electron concentration over the value calculated disregarding the thermal emission. The low-temperature limit of this phenomenon is associated with the rapid increase in the concentration of negative molecular ions (mainly NO ₂ ^? ) at T < 1600 K.     

Conical quasioptical dielectric resonator

A dielectric resonator of the new type—conical quasioptical dielectric resonator—is proposed. The dependence of the resonance oscillation frequency, the quality factor, and the electric field distribution on the cone angle of such a resonator with a conducting screen in the base plane has been experimentally studied in the 8-mm (Ka-band) wavelength range.     

DC bias-dependent shift of the resonance frequencies in BST thin film membranes

Direct current (DC) bias-dependent acoustic resonance phenomena have been observed in micromachined tunable thin film capacitors based on Ba(0.3)Sr(0.7)TiO3 (BST) thin films. The antiresonance frequency is only weakly DC bias dependent, and the resonance frequency exhibits a much stronger dependence on the applied DC bias. The resonance frequency shifted by 1.2% for a frequency of about 6.7 GHz and an applied field of 667 KV/cm. At the same time the effective electromechanical coupling constant k(2)(t,eff) increased to 2.0%. The tuning of the resonance frequency depends on the tunability of the film permittivity and on the mechanical load on the piezoactive layer. The experimental observations correlate well with the theoretical predictions derived from the free energy P expansion using Landau theory.     

Study of the Technological Parameters of Ultrasonic Nebulization

The principle of an ultrasonic nebulizer is based on the vibrations of a piezoelectric crystal driven by an alternating electrical field. These periodic vibrations are characterized by their frequency, their amplitude, and their intensity, which corresponds to the energy transmitted per surface unit. When the vibration intensity is sufficient, cavitation occurs, and droplets are generated. Ventilation enables airflow to cross the nebulizer and to expel the aerosol droplets. For a given nebulizer, the vibration frequency of the piezoelectric crystal is fixed, often in the range 1–2.5 MHz. In most cases, an adjustment in vibration intensity is possible by modifying vibration amplitude. The ventilation level is adjustable. The vibrations may be transmitted through a coupling liquid—commonly water—to a nebulizer cup containing the solution to be aerosolized. In this work, we studied the influence of the technological parameters of ultrasonic nebulization on nebulization quality. Our study was carried out with a 9% sodium chloride solution and a 2% protein solution (α1 protease inhibitor). Three different ultrasonic nebulizers were used. An increase in vibration frequency decreased the size of droplets emitted. The coupling liquid absorbed the energy produced by the ultrasonic vibrations and canceled out any heating of the solution, which is particularly interesting for thermosensitive drugs. An increase in vibration intensity did not modify the size of droplets emitted, but decreased nebulization time and raised the quantity of protein nebulized, thus improving performance. On the other hand, an increase in ventilation increased the size of emitted droplets and decreased nebulization time and the quantity of protein nebulized because more drug was lost on the walls of the nebulizer. High intensity associated with low ventilation favors drug delivery deep into the lungs.     

Frequency Characteristics of a Quartz Tuning Fork Immersed in He II

The effect of dissipation on frequency characteristics of tuning forks was measured, the dissipation being induced by acoustic radiation of different wavelengths, excited by tuning forks. The tuning forks have been immersed in the superfluid helium. The fork resonance frequencies 32, 77 and 99 kHz have been measured at T=370 mK in the pressure range between SVP and 24.9 atm. Most of the tuning forks have been studied in a commercial can. It is found that at wavelength λ>0.6 cm the frequency dependence is determined by the relationship between density and pressure. It is established that a decrease in wavelength enhances influence of the acoustic radiation on the fork oscillation frequency. In the case where the sound wavelength is equal to the can internal diameter an acoustic resonance occurs. The frequency reaches values higher than the fork frequency in vacuum. Further reduction of the sound wavelength leads to the situation when the resonant frequency is similar to the frequency at long wavelengths.     

Study of the technological parameters of ultrasonic nebulization.

The principle of an ultrasonic nebulizer is based on the vibrations of a piezoelectric crystal driven by an alternating electrical field. These periodic vibrations are characterized by their frequency, their amplitude, and their intensity, which corresponds to the energy transmitted per surface unit. When the vibration in tensity is sufficient, cavitation occurs, and droplets are generated. Ventilation enables airflow to cross the nebulizer and to expel the aerosol droplets. For a given nebulizer, the vibration frequency of the piezoelectric crystal is fixed, often in the range 1-2.5MHz. In most cases, an adjustment in vibration intensity is possible by modifying vibration amplitude. The ventilation level is adjustable. The vibrations may be transmitted through a coupling liquid--commonly water--to a nebulizer cup containing the solution to be aerosolized. In this work, we studied the influence of the technological parameters of ultrasonic nebulization on nebulization quality. Our study was carried out with a 9% sodium chloride solution and a 2% protein solution (alpha1 protease inhibitor). Three different ultrasonic nebulizers were used. An increase in vibration frequency decreased the size of droplets emitted. The coupling liquid absorbed the energy produced by the ultrasonic vibrations and canceled out any heating of the solution, which is particularly interesting for thermosensitive drugs. An increase in vibration intensity did not modify the size of droplets emitted, but decreased nebulization time and raised the quantity of protein nebulized, thus improving performance. On the other hand, an increase in ventilation increased the size of emitted droplets and decreased nebulization time and the quantity of protein nebulized because more drug was lost on the walls of the nebulizer. High intensity associated with low ventilation favors drug delivery deep into the lungs.     

The effect of plasmon field on the coherent lattice phonon oscillation in electron-beam fabricated gold nanoparticle pairs

By using electron beam lithography, we fabricated pairs of gold nanoparticles with varying interparticle separation. Double-beam femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy was used to determine the coherent lattice oscillation frequency as a function of the interparticle separation in the presence of the plasmon field excited by the monitoring probe light. We found that the fractional shift in the coherent lattice phonon oscillation frequency follows an exponential decay with respect to the interparticle gap scaled by the disc diameter with the same decay constant as that previously observed for the fractional shift in the surface plasmon electronic oscillation resonance frequency. This strongly suggests that it is the near-field coupling between the particles that shifts both the coherent electronic oscillation (plasmon) frequency and the coherent lattice oscillation (phonon) frequency. The similar trend in the effect of interparticle coupling on the plasmon frequency and the phonon frequency is essentially a reflection of the universal scaling behavior of the distance decay of the interparticle plasmonic near-field. It is shown that the observed decrease in the lattice oscillation frequency with decrease in the interparticle distance is the result of a reduction in the effective free electron density within each nanoparticle pair partner as a result of the polarizing perturbation of the plasmonic field of the other nanoparticle in the pair.     

Water droplets irradiated by a pulsed CO2 laser: comparison of computed temperature contours with explosive vaporization patterns

The theoretical basis of a method which allows the computation of time-dependent temperature distributions within aerosol droplets irradiated by a laser pulse is given. The laser pulse irradiance can be time-dependent, and the temperature dependence of the droplet's conductivity, density, and specific heat is included. The algorithm is used to compute isothermal temperature contours at 305 degrees C within metastable water droplets, and these contours are compared to patterns of explosive vaporization shown in photographs of disintegrating water droplets. This comparison indicates that disintegration patterns can be explained by resistance heating if the temperature dependences of material properties are considered.     

Numerical investigation of dilute aerosol particle transport and deposition in oscillating multi-cylinder obstructions

The transport and deposition of aerosol particles through a fibrous filter is encountered in many natural and industrial processes. As the filtration performance for a stationary filter has been extensively studied in the literature, the present work focuses on the effect of fiber oscillation in a filter where the fibers are allowed to vibrate periodically. The transport and deposition of dilute aerosol particles in such a system is simulated using an efficient numerical model, where an iterative immersed-boundary lattice Boltzmann method is applied to solve the background flow with finite-size moving fibers, and the motion of aerosol particles is then tracked by a one-way coupling Lagrangian approach. In the present scheme, the no-slip boundary condition at the fiber surface can be exactly enforced with an iterative approach and the numerical stability is improved by adopting the MRT collision model. After the model validation in the two special cases of flow over an oscillating fiber in a quiescent fluid and particle capture by a stationary fiber, the filtration performance of an oscillating multi-fiber filter is investigated to study the effects of fiber number, arrangement and vibration mode. It is found that the oscillating motion of fiber has significant influence on the filtration performance. For a single fiber, with larger oscillation amplitude, the distribution ranges of the release position and impact angle of captured particles both increase. On the other hand, a larger fiber oscillation frequency tends to reduce the width of release position but increase the width of impact angle of deposited particles. Furthermore, the collection efficiency is found to be linearly related to the oscillation amplitude or frequency. For multiple fibers, the collection efficiency always increases with larger fiber number, but it is a non-monotonic function of the arrangement parameters, i.e., the longitudinal and transverse spacings, and the vibration parameters such as the amplitude, frequency and vibration mode. It is interesting to find that the in-phase mode can usually lead to excellent collection efficiency.