Acoustically driven oscillatory flow fields in a cylindrical resonator at resonance.

Generation and development of acoustic waves in an air-filled cylindrical resonator driven by a conical electro-mechanical speaker are studied experimentally and simulated numerically. The driving frequencies of the speaker are chosen such that a standing wave field is produced at each chosen frequency in the resonator. The amplitude of the generated acoustic (pressure) waves is measured along the axis of the resonator by a fast response piezo-resistive pressure transducer, while the radial distribution of the oscillatory axial velocities is measured at the corresponding velocity anti-node locations by a constant temperature hot-film anemometer. For the cases studied, the acoustic Reynolds number ranged between 20.0 and 60.0 and the flow fields were always found to be in the laminar regime. The flow field in the resonator is also simulated by a high-fidelity numerical scheme with low numerical diffusion. Formation of the standing wave and quasi-steady acoustic streaming are numerically simulated by solving the fully compressible form of the Navier-Stokes equations. The effects of the sound field intensity (i.e., input power to the speaker) and driving frequency on the standing wave field and the resultant formation process of the streaming structures are also investigated.

Experimental and numerical investigations of resonant acoustic waves in near-critical carbon dioxide.

Flow and transport induced by resonant acoustic waves in a near-critical fluid filled cylindrical enclosure is investigated both experimentally and numerically. Supercritical carbon dioxide (near the critical or the pseudo-critical states) in a confined resonator is subjected to acoustic field created by an electro-mechanical acoustic transducer and the induced pressure waves are measured by a fast response pressure field microphone. The frequency of the acoustic transducer is chosen such that the lowest acoustic mode propagates along the enclosure. For numerical simulations, a real-fluid computational fluid dynamics model representing the thermo-physical and transport properties of the supercritical fluid is considered. The simulated acoustic field in the resonator is compared with measurements. The formation of acoustic streaming structures in the highly compressible medium is revealed by time-averaging the numerical solutions over a given period. Due to diverging thermo-physical properties of supercritical fluid near the critical point, large scale oscillations are generated even for small sound field intensity. The strength of the acoustic wave field is found to be in direct relation with the thermodynamic state of the fluid. The effects of near-critical property variations and the operating pressure on the formation process of the streaming structures are also investigated. Irregular streaming patterns with significantly higher streaming velocities are observed for near-pseudo-critical states at operating pressures close to the critical pressure. However, these structures quickly re-orient to the typical Rayleigh streaming patterns with the increase operating pressure.

High amplitude nonlinear acoustic wave driven flow fields in cylindrical and conical resonators.

A high fidelity computational fluid dynamic model is used to simulate the flow, pressure, and density fields generated in a cylindrical and a conical resonator by a vibrating end wall/piston producing high-amplitude standing waves. The waves in the conical resonator are found to be shock-less and can generate peak acoustic overpressures that exceed the initial undisturbed pressure by two to three times. A cylindrical (consonant) acoustic resonator has limitations to the output response observed at one end when the opposite end is acoustically excited. In the conical geometry (dissonant acoustic resonator) the linear acoustic input is converted to high energy un-shocked nonlinear acoustic output. The model is validated using past numerical results of standing waves in cylindrical resonators. The nonlinear nature of the harmonic response in the conical resonator system is further investigated for two different working fluids (carbon dioxide and argon) operating at various values of piston amplitude. The high amplitude nonlinear oscillations observed in the conical resonator can potentially enhance the performance of pulse tube thermoacoustic refrigerators and these conical resonators can be used as efficient mixers.

Development of artificial neural network based metamodels for inactivation of anthrax spores in ventilated spaces using computational fluid dynamics.

Linear, quadratic, and artificial neural network (ANN)-based metamodels were developed for predicting the extent of anthrax spore inactivation by chlorine dioxide in a ventilated three-dimensional space over time from computational fluid dynamics model (CFD) simulation data. Dimensionless groups were developed to define the design space of the problem scenario. The Hammersley sequence sampling (HSS) method was used to determine the sampling points for the numerical experiments within the design space. A CFD model, comprised of multiple submodels, was applied to conduct the numerical experiments. Large eddy simulation (LES) with the Smagorinsky subgridscale model was applied to compute the airflow. Anthrax spores were modeled as a dispersed solid phase using the Lagrangian treatment. The disinfectant transport was calculated by solving a mass transport equation. Kinetic decay constants were included for spontaneous decay of the disinfectant and for the reaction of the disinfectant with the surfaces of the three-dimensional space. To enhance the mixing of the disinfectant with the room air, a momentum source was included in the simulation. An inactivation rate equation accounted for the reaction between the spores and the disinfectant. The ANN-based metamodels were most successful in predicting the number of viable bioaerosols remaining in an arbitrary enclosed space. Sensitivity analysis showed that the mass fraction of the disinfectant, inactivation rate constant, and contact time had the most influence on the inactivation of the spores.

Dielectrophoretic particle-particle interaction under AC electrohydrodynamic flow conditions.

We used the Maxwell stress tensor method to understand dielectrophoretic particle-particle interactions and applied the results to the interpretation of particle behaviors under alternating current (AC) electrohydrodynamic conditions such as AC electroosmosis (ACEO) and electrothermal flow (ETF). Distinct particle behaviors were observed under ACEO and ETF. Diverse particle-particle interactions observed in experiments such as particle clustering, particles keeping a certain distance from each other, chain and disc formation and their rotation, are explained based on the numerical simulation data. The improved understanding of particle behaviors in AC electrohydrodynamic flows presented here will enable researchers to design better particle manipulation strategies for lab-on-a-chip applications.

Computational fluid dynamics analysis of the effects of reactor configuration on disinfection efficiency.

The efficacy of disinfection processes in water purification systems is governed by several key factors, including reactor hydraulics, disinfectant chemistry, and microbial inactivation kinetics. The objective of this work was to develop a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model to predict velocity fields, mass transport, chlorine decay, and microbial inactivation in a continuous flow reactor. The CFD model was also used to evaluate disinfection efficiency in alternative reactor designs. The CFD reactor analysis demonstrates that disinfection efficiency is affected by both kinetics and mixing state (i.e., degree of micromixing or segregation). Residence time distributions (RTDs) derived from tracer analysis do not describe intrinsic mixing conditions. The CFD-based disinfection models account for reactor mixing patterns by resolution of the reactor velocity field and thus provide a better prediction of microbial inactivation than models that use an RTD.

Analysis of Material Recovery in Plasma Arc Melting of Solid Wastes: A Computational Study.

Processing hazardous solid wastes in a DC arc melter offers several advantages over other competitive methods, including the ability to vary the mixture chemistry independently of the energy input. This decoupling allows the melter to be operated in conditions that enhance material recovery while continuing to provide robust waste destruction. This paper describes the use of a previously developed model to investigate the effect of chlorinated additives on metal volatilization in batch melters. Chlorinated species are shown to vary in their effectiveness as an additive; the potential to simultaneously treat solid wastes and chlorinated organics is also confirmed. At low additive levels the amount of chlorine, regardless of molecular form, determines the volatilization level, with a linear relationship between chlorine feed amount and volatilization. At high additive levels, CCl4 becomes increasingly more effective as an additive, causing greater volatilization by a preferred set of species, while NaCl volatilizes almost completely without reacting, rendering it an ineffective additive.

Modeling of Thermal Treatment of Hazardous Solid Wastes in a DC Arc Melter.

Ashley Wenger is a graduate student in the Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics (MEM) Department at Drexel University. Dr. Bakhtier Farouk is a professor in the MEM Department at Drexel University, 32nd and Chestnut Streets, Philadelphia, PA 19104. Dr. J. Kenneth Wittle is the vice president of Electro-Pyrolysis, Inc., Suite 1118, 996 Old Eagle School Road, Wayne, PA 19087. Please address all correspondence to Dr. Bakhtier Farouk.