Shock induced condensation in a fuel-rich oxygen containing bubble in a flammable liquid

Shock induced dynamics and explosion of a single oxygen containing bubble in liquid cyclohexane is calculated. The possibility, in principle, of fuel vapor condensation during bubble compression is shown. This condensation takes place, if the gas inside the bubble has a relatively high initial temperature or a low initial pressure. As a result of fuel vapor condensation the bubbles, which have an initial gas composition above the upper flammability limit, can, nevertheless, explode.It is shown that the fuel vapor condensation in fuel-rich bubbles is possible during compression stages of oscillations and during a few milliseconds after the end of bubble dynamics. The rate of the condensation process is estimated. According to estimations, this process is fast enough to significantly change the chemical composition of the bubble and shift it into the flammable range even during the compression stage of the first bubble oscillation.Explosion limits of a single bubble as a function of initial temperatures and pressures are calculated. It is shown that condensation processes extend the explosion range.The influence of a chemically inert gas (argon), on the bubble ignition threshold and parameters of bubble explosion is analyzed. It is shown that argon addition in a bubble can reduce the ignition threshold and therefore increase the explosion hazard. On the other hand, such additions reduce explosion pressure and can be used for mitigation of explosions in bubbly liquids.     

Experiment study of the altitude effects on spontaneous ignition characteristics of wood

This paper has studied the influence of ambient pressure and oxygen content on spontaneous ignition of wood by conducting contrastive experiments with wood slab exposed to high temperature radiation at two different altitudes. The measurement of mass loss, time to ignition, and surface temperature of wood are carried out. Results show that mass loss rate of wood at high altitudes (3650 m) is higher than the one at low altitudes (50 m), while ignition delay time of the sample at high altitude is shorter. The surface temperatures at the time of ignition in the two different places are both close to each other, which indicates that the pressure did not affects the ignition temperature. The theoretical analysis on the phenomenon of different ignition behavior of wood in these two altitude environments has been presented.     

Shock tube investigation of propane-air mixtures with a pilot diesel fuel or cotton methyl ester

The propane (or LPG) is one of the best candidates as an alternative fuel in dual-fuel engines which operate primarily on any type of gaseous fuel using pilot injection of diesel to achieve ignition. The ignition delay has received considerable attention in the published literature for various gaseous fuels using different dual-fuel engines which showed that the ignition delay in a dual-fuel engine is different from that in a diesel engine especially at low loads. In this research, the measurement of ignition delay of propane-air mixtures with a pilot diesel fuel or cotton methyl ester (CME) similar to mixtures used in dual-fuel engines have been performed in a shock tube. The operating conditions were the equivalence ratio ranging from 0.3 to 1.2, the initial pressure varied from 0.4 to 1.0 bar, the initial temperature varied from 423 to 673 K, the relative mass of pilot liquid fuel and the type of liquid fuel. The ignition-delay times were measured using a piezo-electric pressure transducer, charge amplifier, data acquisition card, PC computer and LabVIEW program. From the results, it is shown that, the minimum ignition-delay time for the dual-fuel combustion was observed at stoichiometric equivalence ratio for propane-air mixtures with a pilot diesel fuel or CME. Higher initial temperatures and pressures reduced the ignition delay. Also, the ignition delays of propane-air mixtures are affected by changes in pilot fuel quantities and properties.     

Analysis of deformation and internal flow patterns for rising single bubbles in different liquids

Gas–liquid multiphase flow is a significant phenomenon in chemical processes. The rising behaviors of single bubbles in the quiescent liquids have been investigated but the internal flow patterns and deformation rules of bubbles, which influence the mass transfer efficiency to a large extent, have received much less attention. In this paper, the volume of fluid method was used to calculate the bubble shapes, pressure, velocity distributions,and the flow patterns inside the bubbles. The rising behavior of the bubbles with four different initial diameters,i.e., 3 mm, 5 mm, 7 mm and 9 mm was investigated in four various liquids including water, 61.23% glycerol,86.73% glycerol and 100% glycerol. The results show that the liquid properties and bubble initial diameters have great impacts on bubble shapes. Moreover, flow patterns inside the bubbles with different initial diameters were analyzed and classified into three types under the condition of different bubble shapes. Three correlations for predicting the maximum internal circulation inside the bubbles in 86.73% glycerol were presented and the R-square values were all bigger than 0.98. Through analyzing the pressure and velocity distributions around the bubbles, four rules of bubble deformation were also obtained to explain and predict the shapes.     

超声波清洗RDX的数值模拟和安全性分析

建立了超声波清洗RDX过程中空泡溃灭过程的数值模型,并从微观角度进行了理论分析,研究了空泡溃灭产生的高温、冲击波和瞬间能量释放等潜在的引爆风险。结果表明,空泡存在空间小,存在时间极短(10-9s量级),空泡溃灭过程中脉冲温度虽高,但并不满足RDX的起爆条件;脉冲压力虽高,但冲击波在水中迅速衰减,热量会迅速被水吸收;理论计算获得的空泡溃灭能量比RDX的最小引燃能量小几个数量级。超声清洗技术用于RDX颗粒的清洗是安全的。     

Effect of ultrasound on bubble breakup within the mixing chamber of an effervescent atomizer

Gas bubbles introduced into a liquid in the mixing chamber help to break up the liquid into fine droplets on being expanded to the ambient pressure. The passage of gas bubbles through the orifice of the nozzle requires that the size of the bubbles be much smaller than the diameter of the orifice. In the present work, the effectiveness of 20 kHz ultrasound to increase number density of fine bubbles within the mixing chamber of an effervescent atomizer by breaking up bubbles introduced in it by an aerator was investigated. Bubbles of initial size in the range of 5-10 mm were shown to get disintegrated into clusters of micron and sub-micron sized bubbles. A fine spray was produced in the presence of ultrasound at a gas-to-liquid mass flowrate ratio (GLR) of 0.063%. The half-cone angle of spray was in the range of 6-10°, which compares favorably with conventional atomizers. The experimental findings of bubble breakup were theoretically modeled by the Rayleigh-Plesset equation. The results of the model indicate that bubbles having initial radius less than 3 mm undergo growth and subsequent disintegration at 20 kHz for the given acoustic pressure of 0.3 MPa.     

Effect of binder on the structure and mechanical properties of lightweight bubble alumina ceramic

The effect of binders such as ammonium aluminum sulphate, phosphoric acid and composite binder on the properties of lightweight bubble alumina ceramic was studied. The composite binder was composed of ammonium aluminum sulphate and phosphoric acid. Ammonium aluminum sulphate solution can improve compressive strength of alumina bubbles effectively but can not improve that of lightweight bubble alumina ceramic due to the fewer nano-alumina powders in situ decomposed of ammonium alumina sulphate. Trans-ball fractures occurred in thermal shock test. Phosphoric acid solution can improve compressive strength of alumina bubble ceramic because of promoting sintering properties of aluminum phosphate in situ produced by phosphoric acid and alumina component during sintering but decrease that of alumina bubbles. Along-ball fractures occurred in thermal shock test. The composite binder combined with the advantages of ammonium alumina sulphate and phosphoric acid and improved the compressive strength of both alumina bubbles and lightweight bubble alumina ceramic, and effectively reduce the amount of the binders and lower the product cost. At the sintering temperature of 1700 °C, with composite ammonium alumina sulphate and phosphoric acid as binder, the density of lightweight bubble alumina ceramic was between 1.20 and 1.60 g/cm³, and the compressive strength was 18-42 MPa.     

Ignition delay times of ethanol-containing multi-component gasoline surrogates: Shock-tube experiments and detailed modeling

Ignition delay times for binary (ethanol/iso-octane, 25%/75% by liquid volume) and quinary (iso-octane/toluene/n-heptane/diisobutylene/ethanol, 30%/25%/22%/13%/10%) gasoline surrogate fuels in air were measured under stoichiometric conditions behind reflected shock waves. The investigated post-shock temperature ranges from 720 to 1220 K at pressures of 10 bar for the binary mixture and 10 bar and 30 bar for the quinary mixture. Ignition delay times were evaluated using side-wall detection of CH* chemiluminescence (λ = 431.5 nm). Multiple regression analysis of the data indicates global activation energy of ∼124 kJ/mol for the binary mixture and ∼101 kJ/mol for the quinary mixture and a pressure dependence exponent of −1.0 was obtained for the quinary mixture. The measurements were compared to predictions using a proposed detailed kinetics model for multicomponent mixtures that is based on the reference fuels (PRF) model as a kernel and incorporates sub-mechanisms to account for the chemistry of ethanol, toluene and diisobutylene. The model was tested using the measured ignition delay times for the surrogate fuels. Additional comparisons are based on literature data for other fuel combinations of the single constituents forming the quinary surrogate to insure that the modified mechanism still correctly predicts the behavior of simple fuels. The proposed model reproduces the trend of the experimental data for all pure fuels and blends investigated in this work, including the pressure dependence.     

CFD simulation of acoustic cavitation in a crude oil upgrading sonoreactor and prediction of collapse temperature and pressure of a cavitation bubble

In acoustic cavitation, high pressure and temperature are generated due to cavitation bubble collapse in the liquid bulk around the bubble which causes physical and chemical changes in the liquid. In this study, pressure distribution in water caused by ultrasonic wave propagation in a sonoreactor was investigated. Active cavitation zones were determined by calculating acoustic pressure threshold for cavitation inception and compared with experimental results. Collapse pressure and temperature were predicted 3000 atm and 3200 K, respectively, for crude oil at temperature of 25 °C by evaluating cavitation bubble dynamics in the exerted acoustic field. As a consequence, the huge amounts of energy generated by this phenomenon can be applied for changes in oil properties and crude oil upgrading.     

Phase behavior of the poly(neopentyl methacrylate) + supercritical fluid solvents + neopentyl methacrylate system and CO2 + neopentyl methacrylate mixtures at high pressure

High-pressure phase behaviors are measured for the CO₂ + neopentyl methacrylate (NPMA) system at 40, 60, 80, 100, and 120 °C and pressure up to 160 bar. This system exhibits type-I phase behavior with a continuous mixture-critical curve. The experimental results for the CO₂ + NPMA system are modeled using the Peng-Robinson equation of state. Experimental cloud-point data up to the temperature of 180 °C and the pressure of 2000 bar are presented for ternary mixtures of poly(neopentyl methacrylate) [poly(NPMA)] + supercritical solvents + NPMA systems. Cloud-point pressures of poly(NPMA) + CO₂ + NPMA system are measured in the temperature range of 60-180 °C and to pressures as high as 2000 bar with NPMA concentration of 0.0, 5.2, 19.0, 28.1 and 40.2 wt%. It appears that adding 51.2 wt% NPMA to the poly(NPMA) + CO₂ mixture does significantly change the phase behavior. Cloud-point curves are obtained for the binary mixtures of poly(NPMA) in supercritical propane, propylene, butane, 1-butene, and dimethyl ether (DME). The impact of dimethyl ether concentration on the phase behavior of the poly(NPMA) + CO₂ + x wt% DME system is also measured at temperature of 180 °C and pressure range of 36-2000 bar. This system changes the pressure-temperature (P-T) slope of the phase behavior curves from upper critical solution temperature (UCST) region to lower critical solution temperature (LCST) region as the NPMA concentration increases.     

Shape oscillations and path transition of bubbles rising in a model bubble column

We investigate experimentally the occurrence of shape oscillations accompanied by path transition of periodically produced air bubbles rising in water. Within the period of bubble formation, the induced velocity is measured to examine bubble-liquid and bubble-bubble interactions. The flow is produced in a small-scale bubble column with square-shaped cross section. A capillary aerator produces bubbles of size 3.4 mm at a frequency of 5 Hz. Measuring techniques employed are high-speed imaging to capture bubble shape oscillations and path geometry, and laser-Doppler anemometry (LDA) to measure the velocity in the liquid near the rising bubbles. The experimentally obtained bubble shape data are expanded in Legendre polynomials. The results show the occurrence of oscillations by the periodicity of the expansion coefficients in space. Significant shape oscillations accompanied by path transition are observed as the second-mode oscillation frequency converges to the frequency of the initial shape oscillations. The mean velocity field in the water obtained by LDA agrees well with potential theory. An analysis of the decay of the induced flow shows that there is no interaction between the flow fields of two succeeding 3.4 mm bubbles in the rectilinear path when the bubble production frequency is lower than 7.4 Hz.     

Effect of bubble contamination on rise velocity and mass transfer

An apparatus where individual bubbles are kept stationary in a downward liquid flow was adapted to simultaneously (i) follow mass transfer to/from a single bubble as it inevitably gets contaminated; (ii) follow its shape; and (iii) periodically measure its terminal velocity. This apparatus allows bubbles to be monitored for much longer periods of time than does the monitoring of rising bubbles. Thus, the effect of trace contaminants on bubbles of low solubility gases, like air, may be studied.Experiments were done with air bubbles of 1-5 mm initial equivalent diameter in a water stream. The partial pressure of air in the liquid could be manipulated, allowing bubbles to be either dissolving or kept at an approximately constant diameter.Both drag coefficient and gas-liquid mass transfer results were interpreted in terms of bubble contamination kinetics using a simplified stagnant cap model. Drag coefficient was calculated from stagnant cap size using an adaptation of Sadhal and Johnson's model (J. Fluid Mech. 126 (1983) 237).Gas-liquid mass transfer modelling assumed two mass transfer coefficients, one for the clean front of the bubble, the other for the stagnant cap. Adjusted values of these coefficients are consistent with theoretical predictions from Higbie's and Frössling's equations, respectively.     

Characterization of gas-solid fluidization: A comparative study of acoustic and pressure signals

The hydrodynamics of fluidized beds strongly influence their operation, but are complicated and chaotic. There are many measurement techniques, but none fully characterizes gas-solid fluidized beds. Acoustic signals from fluidized beds cover a wide frequency spectrum and can be correlated to bed characteristics. Experiments were conducted to study the acoustic signals from ultrasonic transducers mounted on the outer wall of a two-dimensional fluidization column. The acoustic signals were related to bubble behavior in 550 μm glass beads. Simultaneous acoustic and pressure measurements allowed direct comparison of these signals for single bubbles, pairs and chains of bubbles. The envelope of acoustic signals, generated by particle collisions and particle-wall impacts, provided information on the behavior of bubbles. Significant peaks appeared as the top portions of the bubble wakes approached the acoustic sensor. Pressure waves propagated considerably in the horizontal direction, whereas acoustic signals propagated little in the lateral direction, but transmitted forward in the wall in the direction of bubble motion, maintaining the wave profile invariant during transmission. The strong lateral localization of acoustic signals is promising for determining the lateral bubble position in the bed. Acoustic signals provide a potential means of determining such bubble properties as velocity, frequency and volume, with some advantages relative to pressure signals.     

Solubility of ethylene in 2,2,4-trimethylpentane and 1-octene mixture

With a static type equilibrium cell and the pressure decaying method, the solubility of ethylene in a mixture of 2,2,4-trimethylpentane and 1-octene was measured in the temperature range of 323.15-423.15 K, pressure range of 5-25 bar, and 1-octene concentration from 0 to 85 wt%. The experimental results show that the solubility of ethylene in a 2,2,4-trimethylpentane and 1-octane mixture increases with system pressure but decreases with system temperature.The experimental solubility data were also expressed in the vapor-liquid equilibrium relationship and correlated by the bubble pressure calculation using the Peng-Robinson equation of state (PR EOS) incorporated with the van der Waals one-fluid and the Zhong-Masuoka mixing rules. Among the deviations between the experimental and correlated results, the largest value of average absolute relative deviation is 1.73% for pressure at 423.15 K and that of average absolute deviation is 0.0024 mol fraction for vapor composition at 373.15 K by the Zhong-Masuoka mixing rule.     

Predictions of bubble behavior in sulfuric acid solutions by a set of solutions of Navier-Stokes equations

The nonlinear behavior of individual bubbles in liquid under periodic pressure fields has drawn considerable attention in conjunction with the design of sonochemical reactor and sonoluminescence phenomena. In this study, the motion of bubble under ultrasound was predicted by a set of solutions of the Navier-Stokes equations for the gas inside a spherical bubble and an analytical treatment of the Navier-Stokes equations for the liquid adjacent to the bubble wall. The theory permits one to predict correctly the bubble radius-time curve and the characteristics of the sonoluminescing gas bubble in sulfuric acid solutions, such as the peak temperature and pressure at the collapse point. It has turned out that the heat transfer inside the bubble and the liquid layer plays a major role in the bubble behavior. Mass transfer through the interface does not affect the bubble motion.     

Ignition of single coal particles in high-temperature oxidizers with various oxygen concentrations

In this investigation, coal pellets were combusted using a high temperature oxidizer with varying oxygen concentration, using a small scale batch reactor able to preheat the oxidizer to 1273 K. In base of the experimental results, the influence of oxygen concentration on the ignition mechanism, the solid temperature inside the particle at the moment of ignition, the mass lost at the moment of the ignition and ignition time is analyzed and discussed. A theoretical basis for the division of the conditions tested into three ignition regimes is developed and a formula for the prediction of the ignition time directly from the material and oxidizer temperature and oxygen concentration is proposed.     

Laminar burning velocity and explosion index of LPG-air and propane-air mixtures

The determination of burning velocity is very important for the calculations used in hazardous waste explosion protection and fuel tank venting, which has a direct impact on environmental protection. The scope of the present study encompass an extensive study to map the variations of the laminar burning velocity and the explosion index of LPG-air and propane-air mixtures over wide ranges of equivalence ratio (Φ = 0.7-2.2) and initial temperature (T_i = 295-400 K) and pressure (P_i = 50-400 kPa). For this purpose a cylindrical combustion bomb was developed. The reliability and accuracy of the built up facility together with the calculation algorithm are confirmed by comparing the values of the laminar burning velocity obtained for a standard fuel (propane at normal pressure normal temperature conditions, NPT) with those available in the literature. The burning velocity was determined using different models depending on the pressure history (P-t) of the central ignition combustion process at the minimum ignition energy.The data obtained for the laminar burning velocity is correlated to S_L = S_L0(T/T₀)^α(P/P₀)^β where S_L0 is the burning velocity at NPT, α and β are the temperature and pressure exponents respectively. The value of β is observed to slightly vary with the equivalence ratio for both fuels. However, propane exhibits higher pressure dependency than that of LPG. The maximum laminar burning velocity found for propane is nearly 455 mm/s at Φ = 1.1, while that for LPG is nearly 432 mm/s at 4.5% fuel percent (Φ ≈ 1.5). The maximum explosion index, commonly called the “explosion severity parameter”, is calculated from the determined laminar burning velocity and is found to be 93 bar m/s for propane, and nearly 88 bar m/s for LPG.     

Supercritical carbon dioxide extraction of oil from Mexican chia seed (Salvia hispanica L.): Characterization and process optimization

Supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO₂) was employed to extract oil rich in omega-3 fatty acids (FAs) from chia seeds, and the physicochemical properties of the oil were determined. A central composite rotatable design was used to analyze the impact of temperature (40 °C, 60 °C and 80 °C), pressure (250 bar, 350 bar and 450 bar) and time (60 min, 150 min and 240 min) on oil extraction yield, and a response surface methodology (RSM) was applied. The extraction time and pressure had the greatest effects on oil. The highest oil yield was 92.8% after 300 min of extraction time at 450 bar. The FA composition varied depending on operating conditions but had a high content of α-linolenic acid (44.4-63.4%) and linoleic acid (19.6-35.0%). The rheological evaluation of the oils indicated a Newtonian behavior. The viscosity of the oil decreased with the increase in temperature following an Arrhenius-type relationship.     

Numerical simulation of syngas combustion with a multi-spark ignition system in a diesel engine adapted to work at the Otto cycle

This work focuses on the construction of a 2D dynamic model, taking into consideration the turbulent flux combustion reactions of syngas inside a combustion chamber and its displacement through the cylinder of a diesel engine model OM 447 LA converted to Otto cycle operation. The engine has a multi-spark ignition system. The geometry of both the chamber and cylinder is symmetric to a radius of 0.064 m and to a length of 0.17595 m. The simulation is carried out on only half of the system, with a premixed supply of the syngas and air. The supply temperature of the mixture is 336 K. The supply relation air/syngas ratio is 1.1:1, and the supply pressure of the mixture is 1 bar. The gaseous phase is modeled as a multi-component mixture comprised of carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen (H₂), methane (CH₄), nitrogen (N₂), carbon dioxide (CO₂) and oxygen (O₂). The study describes a Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) numerical model, in which the conservation of matter, motion and energy equations are solved; in addition, sub-models are used to represent the turbulence intensity and the multiple reactions. The model predicts the profiles of syngas speed, temperature, chemical composition, pressure, and turbulence intensity for the gases when the working parameters and the supply characteristics are modified (air-syngas ratio, initial temperature of the mixture, initial pressure, compression ratio, and engine speed). The equation formulation is elliptic staggered. The result is a simple nonlinear map that resolves combustion time sequences using the commercial code CFD in PHOENICS.     

Supercritical fluid extraction from dried banana peel (Musa spp., genomic group AAB): Extraction yield, mathematical modeling, economical analysis and phase equilibria

Supercritical fluid extraction from dried banana peel (Musa spp., subgroup Prata, genomic group AAB, popularly known in Brazil as Enxerto) was studied. The aspects investigated were: overall extraction curve (OEC), mass transfer modeling of the yield curves, economical analysis of the process and phase equilibrium data for the pseudo-ternary system of banana peel extract, carbon dioxide and ethanol. The extraction operating conditions evaluated were: pressure ranging from 100 bar to 300 bar, temperature from 40 to 50 °C and constant solvent flow rate of 5.0 gCO₂/min. Experimental extraction data were correlated using three kinetic models based on mass transfer equations (logistic, diffusion and Esquível models). Phase equilibrium measurements were performed using pressure from 64.9 bar to 239.9 bar and mass fraction of supercritical extract from 0.52 to 3.55 wt%. Yield results ranged from 0.6 to 6.9% d.b. (dry basis). The lowest deviation between experimental and correlated data was obtained by the Logistic model, except for the curve at 300 bar and 40 °C which was best represented by the Esquível model. The economical analysis identified the possibility to apply the supercritical fluids to obtain extracts from banana peel in an industrial scale. Phase equilibrium for the supercritical extract from banana peel with carbon dioxide modified by ethanol exhibited liquid-liquid, vapor-liquid (bubble point) and vapor-liquid-liquid phase transitions. A crossover phenomenon for the systems evaluated was observed for pressures between 200 bar and 240 bar, for both groups of assays, i.e., supercritical extraction and phase equilibrium.