Focused-image holography as a dense-spray diagnostic

The denser regions of sprays need to be probed for us to understand further the basic phenomena of the breakup of a bulk liquid into droplets and the subsequent drop dynamics. The instruments currently available to spray diagnosticians, the Malvern spray analyzer and the phase/Doppler particle analyzer, cannot be used in the denser regions of the spray and in regions where ligaments or nonspherical droplets exist. Holography, as applied in the past, has permitted the interrogation of nonspherical drops but in general has been applied to droplet-dominated dilute regions of sprays. Using a focused-image holographic system, with the advantages of an imaging lens and side lighting, we can probe highly complex regions of sprays, such as those that include bubble explosions and complex ligament formation at the nozzle exit. In this paper we present components of a focused-image holographic system for spray analysis, advantages and limitations of that system, and how the longitudinal magnification varies as a funct on of the length of the object along the optical path.     

Characterization and verification of astigmatic interferometric particle imaging for volumetric droplet 3D position and size measurement

Sprays generated by atomization processes have been used in a wide range of fields. The size and spatial distribution of volumetric droplets in a spray are critical parameters in industrial applications. Astigmatic interferometric particle imaging (AIPI), an extension of the traditional interferometric particle imaging (IPI), is developed to simultaneously measure the size and 3D position of volumetric droplets in a sparse spray. Based on the generalized Huygens–Fresnel integral and the transfer matrix, the size and depth position of droplet can be respectively extracted from the fringe spacing and orientation of interferogram in AIPI. An AIPI setup is established to characterize droplets in a sparse spray generated by a nozzle with the AIPI calibration procedure adopted. The measured parameters by AIPI are compared with those obtained synchronously by digital inline holography, which is regarded as a standard measurement technique. Results show that the average deviation values of droplet size and depth position are respectively 3.8% and 6.8%. AIPI has been demonstrated with high accuracy in simultaneous 3D positions and size measurements.     

Droplet Deformation and 2-D/3-D Marangoni Flow Phenomena in Droplets Levitated by Electric Fields

An integrated numerical model is presented for free surface phenomena and Marangoni fluid flows in electrically levitated droplets under both terrestrial and microgravity conditions. The model development is based on the boundary element solution of the Maxwell equations simplified for electrostatic levitation applications and the free surface deformation that is primarily caused from the surface Maxwell stresses resulting from the applied electric fields. The electric and free surface model is further integrated with a finite element model for the surface-tension-induced fluid flows in the levitated droplets. Both 2-D and 3-D fluid flow structures may be developed in the electrically levitated droplets depending on the applied laser heating sources. The integrated model is applied to study the electric field distribution, free surface deformation, and 2-D and 3-D internal fluid flow structures in normal and microgravity for single, symmetric two-beam, four-beam, and six-beam laser heating arrangements. Among these arrangements, the six-beam arrangement with equal heating intensity gives the smallest temperature difference and the smallest maximum velocity.     

Characteristics of spray flames and the effect of group combustion on the morphology of flame-made nanoparticles

Characteristics of burning and non-burning sprays generated by a coaxial air-assist nozzle, previously used for the synthesis of ceramic nanoparticles by flame spray pyrolysis (FSP), are studied using phase Doppler anemometry. Also, the effect of droplet interaction on the overall combustion behavior of the spray (group combustion) and, consequently, on the characteristics of flame-made ceramic particles is investigated. A physical model is proposed which correlates the formation of inhomogeneous mixtures of micron-sized hollow particles and solid nanoparticles to the combustion mode: the precursor droplets which entirely evaporate in the hot flame are responsible for the formation of nanoparticles. The vapor species react, forming intermediate and product molecules and clusters that quickly grow to nanosized ceramic particles. On the other hand, under certain conditions, a small number of the droplets, particularly with large initial sizes, escape from the spray boundaries and become extinguished, producing large hollow ceramic particles. It is also possible that some of the large droplets, which lie within the spray core, do not entirely evaporate. These surviving droplets then form large particles which are usually hollow but can collapse to solid particles at sufficiently high temperatures. Also, a criterion for the formation of homogeneous ceramic nanoparticles is presented.     

Optimal feature extraction for segmentation of Diesel spray images

A one-dimensional simplification, based on optimal feature extraction, of the algorithm based on the likelihood-ratio test method (LRT) for segmentation in colored Diesel spray images is presented. If the pixel values of the Diesel spray and the combustion images are represented in RGB space, in most cases they are distributed in an area with a given so-called privileged direction. It is demonstrated that this direction permits optimal feature extraction for one-dimensional segmentation in the Diesel spray images, and some of its advantages compared with more-conventional one-dimensional simplification methods, including considerably reduced computational cost while accuracy is maintained within more than reasonable limits, are presented. The method has been successfully applied to images of Diesel sprays injected at room temperature as well as to images of sprays with evaporation and combustion. It has proved to be valid for several cameras and experimental arrangements.     

Study on ice slurry production by water spray

A theoretical and experimental study was performed to examine the water spray method of ice slurry production. First, the conditions for the formation of ice particles were investigated theoretically by the diffusion-controlled evaporation model. The prediction of the model was proved to agree relatively well with experiments in which we examined the conditions for a droplet of initial temperature 20°C and size 50 μm to change into an ice particle in a chamber of height 1.33 m. Second, the production of cold storage heat will increase almost proportionally to the number of spray nozzles because no substantial difference was found in the Sauter Mean Diameter (SMD) of sprays from single and twin nozzle. Third, an ice slurry was experimentally obtained by spraying droplets of 7% ethylene glycol aqueous solution in a vacuum chamber where pressure is maintained below the freezing point of the solution. Finally, based on the theoretical and experimental results, we propose an optimizing chart for providing the operating conditions to make ice slurry using the relations of the staying time of the droplet in the chamber, the injection pressure, the spray droplet size and the chamber pressure.     

Materials characterization and mechanical properties of graded tool steels processed by a new co‐spray forming technique

In order to meet the requirements of micro cold forming tools, a new co‐spray forming process has been applied to produce graded materials from two different tool steels in this study. The two steel melts were atomized and co‐sprayed simultaneously onto a flat substrate, resulting in a flat graded deposit when the two sprays were overlapped. To eliminate porosity and break up carbide network, the graded deposits were further hot rolled. The resultant graded tool steels were investigated with respect to porosity, element distribution, microstructure, hardness, strength, and toughness. The degree of overlapping of the two sprays determined the concentration gradient of the chemical elements in the deposits. The overlapping of the spray cones also contributed to low porosity in the gradient zone of the deposits. The porosity in the graded deposits could be essentially eliminated by means of hot rolling. The carbides and grain structures of the hot rolled tool steels were fine and homogeneous. By means of combining different tool steels in a single deposit, different microstructures and properties were combined.     

Equi-flux streamline seeding for three-dimensional vector fields

Appropriate streamline placement is important in the visualisation of 3D vector fields and many streamline seeding algorithms exist that produce evenly spaced or feature-based streamlines. However, in many areas of applied science, such as 3D coil design for magnetic resonance imaging hardware or in meteorology, interest lies with obtaining streamlines that represent equal flux across the entire 3D vector field. In this article, an equi-flux streamline seeding method is presented in the context of a 3D volumetric current density. Streamline density is controlled by a density map that evolves with the placement of each streamline. A novel Gaussian filter is described as part of the process, which has amplitude equal to the updated density map maximum and variance related to the inverse cube root of this amplitude such that each streamline represents approximately fixed flux or integrated current. The method is verified by applying it to simple 1D, 2D and 3D examples for which exact results can be obtained for comparison. In addition, the method allows streamline count to be varied in a straightforward manner, and can be applied to complicated 3D vector fields for which no exact result can be obtained.     

Squeezing out ultrafine hydrophobic and poor water-soluble drug particles with water vapour

This short communication describes a scalable new method to produce ultrafine hydrophobic or poorly soluble drug particles. Ultrafine Vitamin D3, Aspirin and Ibuprofen particles in the submicron range were produced. The method is an extension of the antisolvent vapour precipitation technique which exposes a droplet to an antisolvent vapour with reference to the dissolved materials within the droplet. In this work, the drug material was dissolved in ethanol droplets and then exposed to a convective stream of water vapour. Absorption of the water vapour into the droplet resulted in the precipitation of the particles. The precipitated submicron particles showed good dispersion behaviour in water droplets. This work will form the basis for using spray dryers as high-throughput scalable micro-precipitators.     

Spray Atomized and Codeposited Al-Li Based Metal-matrix Composites Processing and Properties

In spray atomization and codeposition, a molten stream of metal is disintegrated into a fine dispersion of droplets by high velocity gas jets. The resulting semi-solidified droplets are directed towards a substrate where they impact and collect as rapidly solidified splats. Relatively high rates of solidification are achieved as a result of the thinness of the splats and the rapid heat extraction during flight and upon impacting with the substrate. The processing method uses codeposition of the metallic semi-solidified droplets (metallic matrix) with the injected reinforcement ceramic particles. In the present paper, the microstructures, mechanical properties, interfacial properties, thermal stability and aging behaviour of spray atomized and codeposited Al-Li-X MMC's (injected X=SiC, Al2O3) are reported and correlated to the processing conditions.     

Numerical simulation on gas-droplet flow characteristics and spray evaporation process in CFB-FGD tower

Nozzle arrangement in the nozzle spray system has a significant impact on the gas-droplet flow characteristics and the temperature distribution within the circulating fluidized bed flue gas desulphurization (CFB-FGD) tower, which is critical to the SO₂ removal efficiency. The effects of spray direction, nozzle number and nozzle spray angle on gas-droplet distribution and temperature distribution inside the FGD tower are investigated with numerical simulation based on a Eulerian-Lagrangian mathematical model. An optimal nozzle arrangement scheme is proposed to improve the contact between gas and water droplets and the flue gas temperature distribution. Results show that upward spray direction is beneficial to the interaction between water droplets, improving gas-droplet flow characteristics and spray evaporation process, and water droplets number trapped by tower wall could be reduced in the water droplets evaporation. With the increase in nozzle number, it is conducive to the contact between flue gas and water droplets to increase the evaporation efficiency of water droplets, as well as the uniformity of temperature distribution inside the tower. With nozzle spray angle increases from 30° to 120°, flue gas velocity decreases, water droplets number trapped by the tower wall increases. The temperature distribution at different cross-section is the most uniform when the nozzle spray angle is 60°.     

Simulation of a spray scrubber performance with Eulerian/Lagrangian approach in the aerosol removing process

In this study, a mathematical model has been developed to simulate the performance of a spray scrubber in an industrial ammonium nitrate plant. The model is based on the Lagrangian approach for the droplets movement and particle source in cell (PSI-CELL) model for calculating the droplet concentration distribution. Consequently, unlike former research, the emphasis is on the droplet dynamic behavior. In the current study, for approaching a realistic model, a droplet size distribution rather than average diameter, and also liquid film formation rather than uniform and constant droplet flow rate has been applied. Also, the Eulerian method has been used for the calculation of the particles removal efficiency and energy balance has been applied on the gas to estimate the droplet size distribution. In the experimental section, the concentration of particles and their size distribution in both inlet and outlet gas of the studied scrubber has been measured for the validation of the predicted particles collection efficiency. In addition, the temperature of the gas at inlet, outlet and in the middle of the tower has been measured for the confirmation of the predicted droplet size distribution in the tower. A good consistency between the model and data has been observed. After the model is validated, it is used to investigate the various variable profiles such as liquid film, total projected surface area of the droplets, velocity profile of the droplets and some of the other parameters in the spray scrubbers.     

Nonintrusive optical single-particle counter for measuring the size and velocity of droplets in a spray

A technique for measuring nonintrusively, and in real time, the size and velocity of droplets in a spray is presented. A small beam identifies the center of a larger beam, thus defining a region of almost uniform intensity, and only droplets crossing through such a center are measured. The size is obtained from the absolute scattered light and the velocity from the modulated signal produced by the interferometric pattern. A self-calibrating algorithm is also discussed. Results are presented for a spray of predictable characteristics.     

喷射成形铝硅合金电子封装梯度材料的研究进展

高硅铝合金电子封装材料以其良好的热物理性能与力学性能,越来越受到材料和电子封装行业研究者的重视,但是其焊接性能与机械性能不理想。铝硅合金梯度板材可解决电子封装材料低膨胀与高机械性能的矛盾,其高硅端热膨胀系数低,导热好,适于裸集成电路;低硅端机械性能高,可焊接,便于精加工和封装,是未来武器装备高集成电路封装构件重要的备选材料。针对这类材料的制备问题,提出了双金属一步式喷射成形技术的概念,并对喷射工艺参数进行了初步的探索研究。2个沉积器的间距可以影响复合板材的外形轮廓与内部硅成分的梯度分布,模拟结果显示间距大于等于40 mm时,出现台阶而且成分变化有突变。     

Spatial mapping of droplet velocity and size for direct and indirect nebulization in plasma spectrometry

Two novel laser-based imaging techniques centered on particle image velocimetry and optical patternation are used to map and contrast the size and velocity distributions for indirect and direct pneumatic nebulizations in plasma spectrometry. The flow field of droplets is illuminated by two pulses from a thin laser sheet with a known time difference. The scattering of the laser light from droplets is captured by a charge-coupled device (CCD), providing two instantaneous images of the particles. Pointwise cross-correlation of the corresponding images yields a two-dimensional velocity map of the aerosol velocity field. For droplet size distribution studies, the solution is doped with a fluorescent dye and both laser-induced florescence (LIF) and Mie scattering images are captured simultaneously by two CCDs with the same field of view. The ratio of the LIF/Mie images provides relative droplet size information, which is then scaled by a point calibration method via a phase Doppler particle analyzer. Two major findings are realized for three nebulization systems: (1) a direct injection high-efficiency nebulizer (DIHEN); (2) a large-bore DIHEN; and (3) a PFA microflow nebulizer with a PFA Scott-type spray chamber. First, the central region of the aerosol cone from the direct injection nebulizers and the nebulizer-spray chamber arrangement consists of fast (>13 and >8 m/s, respectively) and fine (<10 and <5 microm, respectively) droplets as compared to slow (<4 m/s) and large (>25 microm) droplets in the fringes. Second, the spray chamber acts as a momentum separator, rather than a droplet size selector, as it removes droplets having larger sizes or velocities. The concepts and results presented in this research may be used to develop smart-tunable nebulizers, for example, by using the measured momentum as a feedback control for adjusting the nebulizer, i.e., its operating conditions, its critical dimensions, or both.     

Spray pattern and droplet size analyses for high-shear viscosity determination of aqueous suspension corticosteroid nasal sprays

Aqueous suspension corticosteroid nasal sprays exhibit the rheological property of shear thinning, meaning they exhibit a decrease in viscosity upon application of shear. Most rheological methods are limited in the amount of shear that can be applied to samples (approximately 1,000 s(-1)) and thus can only approximate the viscosities at the high-shear conditions of nasal spray devices (approximately 10(5)-10(6) s(-1)). In the current work, spray area and droplet size were shown to demonstrate viscosity dependence. Three Newtonian fluids were used to determine equations to approximate viscosity at the spray nozzle from correlations to spray area and droplet size using a standard 100 microL Pfeiffer nasal spray pump. Several shear-thinning solutions, including four commercial aqueous suspension corticosteroid nasal sprays and three aqueous Avicel (1, 2, and 3%, wt/wt) samples, were analyzed to demonstrate the ability of spray area and droplet size analysis to estimate high-shear viscosities. The calculated viscosity values trend in accordance with the rheometer data along with the ability to distinguish differences between all samples analyzed.     

Simultaneous spatial and spectral imaging of lasing droplets

We present an experimental technique that allows the simultaneous spatial imaging and spectral analysis of falling droplets that exhibit lasing. Single droplet investigations serve as, among other purposes, a preliminary study for spray and combustion researchers. The described setup provides a valuable tool for the evaluation of microdroplet investigations with laser-spectroscopic techniques that rely on laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) or similar spectroscopical phenomena. The emphasis is that both spatial and spectral information are obtained from single-shot images of a falling droplet. Furthermore, combining spatial imaging and a spatially resolving optical multichannel analyzer makes a pointwise rastering of the droplets spectrum possible. This allows for the (almost) unambiguous determination of sources of influence on the spectrum of these droplets-such as geometrical distortion and lasing, nondissolved tracer lumps, and similar phenomena. Although the focus is on the experimental technique itself, we supplement detailed studies of lasing in falling microdroplets. These results were obtained with the aim of developing a system for measuring temperature distributions in droplets and sprays. In the light of these results the practice of calibrating a droplets spectrum by use of a bulk liquid sample needs to be critically reviewed.     

Interferometric laser imaging for droplet sizing: a method for droplet-size measurement in sparse spray systems

A full-field, time-resolved interferometric method for the characterization of sparse, polydisperse spray systems is reported. The method makes use of the angular intensity oscillations in the wide-angle forward-scatter region. A pulsed laser is used to illuminate a planar sheet through the spray, which is imaged, out of focus, from the 45°direction. The image consists of a set of out-of-focus spots, each of which represents an individual droplet, and superimposed on which is a set of fringes corresponding to the angular intensity oscillations of that droplet. Macrophotographic recording with high-resolution digitization for image analysis provides a full-field capability. The spatial frequency of fringes on each spot in the image plane is dependent on the diameter of the corresponding droplet in the object plane, and a simple geometric analysis is shown to be appropriate for the calculation of the spatial frequency of fringes as a function of droplet size. Images are analyzed automatically by a software suite that uses Gaussian blur, Canny edge detection, and Hough transforms to locate individual droplets in the image field. Fringe spatial frequency is then determined by least-squares fitting to a Chirp function. The method is applicable to droplets with diameters in the range of several millimeters to several hundred millimeters and number densities of up to 10(3) to 10(4). The accuracy of the method for droplet-size determination has been evaluated by measurements of monodisperse aerosols of known droplet size, and measurements of droplet-size distribution in a polydisperse aerosol produced by a gasoline fuel injector are also presented. An extension of the method, using high-speed photography to measure two components of velocity in addition to size and position, is discussed. A two-wavelength approach may also offer the capability to measure the concentration of model fuel additives in droplets, and the results of a feasibility study are described.     

Droplet-based microfluidic flow injection system with large-scale concentration gradient by a single nanoliter-scale injection for enzyme inhibition assay

We described a microfluidic chip-based system capable of generating droplet array with a large scale concentration gradient by coupling flow injection gradient technique with droplet-based microfluidics. Multiple modules including sample injection, sample dispersion, gradient generation, droplet formation, mixing of sample and reagents, and online reaction within the droplets were integrated into the microchip. In the system, nanoliter-scale sample solution was automatically injected into the chip under valveless flow injection analysis mode. The sample zone was first dispersed in the microchannel to form a concentration gradient along the axial direction of the microchannel and then segmented into a linear array of droplets by immiscible oil phase. With the segmentation and protection of the oil phase, the concentration gradient profile of the sample was preserved in the droplet array with high fidelity. With a single injection of 16 nL of sample solution, an array of droplets with concentration gradient spanning 3-4 orders of magnitude could be generated. The present system was applied in the enzyme inhibition assay of β-galactosidase to preliminarily demonstrate its potential in high throughput drug screening. With a single injection of 16 nL of inhibitor solution, more than 240 in-droplet enzyme inhibition reactions with different inhibitor concentrations could be performed with an analysis time of 2.5 min. Compared with multiwell plate-based screening systems, the inhibitor consumption was reduced 1000-fold.     

Self‐Propelling and Positioning of Droplets Using Continuous Topography Gradient Surface

A radial pattern with continuous topography gradient is presented, which induces a continuous inward wettability gradient and enables self‐propelling and accurate positioning of droplets to the pattern center. The effect of droplet size and wettability gradient of the pattern on the self‐mobility of droplets is investigated. The wettability gradient is found to increase towards the pattern center, enhancing the self‐motion of droplets at the inner area of the pattern. Moreover, larger droplets give rise to a larger solid‐liquid contact diameter, which helps to satisfy the self‐motion criteria that the advancing contact angle at front edge is smaller than the receding contact angle at rear edge. Consequently, a larger droplet size favors self‐motion initiated from the outer area of the pattern. The continuous topography gradient employed here allows the flexible dispensing of droplets at any place within a certain range, and avoids potential pinning defects to droplets at geometrical discontinuities. An average self‐motion velocity up to 4.0 cm/s for microliter‐sized droplets is achieved on the resultant patterned surface.