Generation and Evaporation of Microsprays

This chapter aims to comprehensively review the techniques and features of micro-sprays for various applications via micro-droplet generators over decades, especially focusing on the past and present microfluidics. It is organized briefly as below. The background of current research and development about the micro-spray techniques is first introduced, followed by the generation and evaporation of spray detailed with the concentrated respects of critical requirements for materials and facilities. Then, we address the critical design issues of micro-sprayers such as the actuators and nozzles required to be satisfactory for generating a number of droplets. Subsequently, we further describe characterization of droplets in form of spray concerning droplet size, speed, rates, and patterns in microfluidics. Moreover, the chapter presents the proof-of-concept and commercial applications of the micro-spraying processes, highlighting their current technical progresses and future challenges, which shall be intimately related to the droplet generation and evaporation including droplet evaporative cooling, direct printing, screen printing, nano-material coating, liquid nebulization, and miscellaneous employment. Finally, we draw a conclusion in the end of the chapter

Optimization of multiple piezoelectric magnetic fans for electronic cooling system

Air cooling system for electronics is still preferable due to its simplicity and reliability. To date, some researches on air cooling showed that a piezoelectric fan is more efficient than natural convection with minimum power consumption. However, a single piezoelectric fan can only cover a small cooling area and more power might be consumed if multiple piezoelectric fans are applied. A multiple piezoelectric magnetic fan (MPMF) has proven to have a high potential to replace the existing rotary fan. Initially, the MPMF was designed in line/array (APMF). However, the deflection of the MPMF needs to be improved in fundamental analysis and validated by the experimental data from previous studies. Hence, the first objective of the study is to propose a new mathematical model for MPMF to include the location of magnet and distance between magnets to length ratio. A centripetal force is introduced as the contributing parameter to the equation of deflection of a radial piezoelectric magnetic fan (RPMF). The second objective is to optimize the multiple piezoelectric magnetic fan parameters using Response Surface Method (RSM). The experimental setup consisted of two divisions; parameters optimization and thermal analysis. The theoretical results of the fan deflection were compared with experimental data and the thermal performance of the proposed RPMF was compared with the benchmarked paper. The results showed that an optimal magnet location was on the Mylar blade, 44mm from the origin (63.8% of original length). The new location of magnet has led to increment of Reynolds Number to 924. The distance between magnets to length ratio is in the range of 14.5mm to 15.6mm (21%-22.6% of the fan length). By fixing the distance between magnets at 14.5mm, the resonant frequency and deflection of RPMF and APMF were 42.66Hz, 11.6mm and 40.68Hz, 9.4mm respectively. By varying the orientation of MPMF, the Reynolds number of RPMF was improved 32% compared to APMF. The heat convection coefficient increased by 8.07% to enhance the heat transfer performance by 8.06%. The thermal resistance reduced by 7.6% which led to 5% increment of overall thermal efficiency. In conclusion, the relocation of magnet has improved the overall performance of MPMF. The RPMF has been found to have a better cooling performance compared to APMF. Thus, RPMF has a high potential to be applied in electronics cooling system

Investigation of Microdroplet Generation, Morphological Evolution, and Applications Under Quasi-steady and Dynamic States

Microscale droplets are commonly encountered in the fields of materials processing, thermal fluids, and biology. While these droplets are naturally occurring, recent advances in microfabrication have enabled researchers to harness their enhanced transport characteristics for numerous laboratory and industrial applications from controlled chemical synthesis to inkjet printing and thermal management. Smaller droplets have larger specific surface area and a greater perimeter-to-area ratio when resting on a surface (i.e., sessile), which accelerates processes occurring at droplet surfaces like evaporation, chemical reaction, or combustion. The demand for microdroplets with smaller and more uniform sizes has motivated investigation of how such droplets can be created using robust and repeatable methods.Here, I present a comprehensive study of the generation, morphological evolution, and the potential implementations of droplets formed under quasi-steady (sessile) and dynamic (spray) states. Sessile droplets were generated and retained by pumping water into hollow micropillar structures with different cross-sectional shapes. The sharp edges of the hollow micropillar structures create an energy barrier that hinders the further advance of the three-phase (liquid-solid-gas) contact line, accompanied by an increase in the contact angle. This feature hinders the formation of flat liquid films on substrates, thus providing a longer triple phase contact line per unit area and potentially enabling the use of these structures in heat transfer devices. The shape evolution and evaporation rate of microdroplets pinned on micropillars with circular, square, and triangular cross-sections are investigated. For dynamic droplet studies, sprays comprising high velocity microdroplet clusters are generated using a micromachined nozzle array driven at ultrasonic frequencies by vibration of piezoelectric actuators, breaking the surface tension energy to create droplets. The microscopic evolution of the droplet profile, velocity, diameter, and ejection modes were investigated to evaluate atomization performance. Pinned sessile microdroplets and fine sprays with uniform droplet sizes benefit different applications. For example, the steady droplet profile of pinned sessile microdroplets allows controllable evaporative cooling, while fine sprays are widely used for inkjet printing, combustion, and materials synthesis, among others. In this project, the heat transfer performance of droplets pinned on micropillars with different cross-sections was investigated, and the overall ejection behavior from nozzle microarrays was characterized. The dissertation work therefore consists of three components: (1) design and fabrication of hollow micropillars and arrays of microscopic nozzles/orifices, (2) investigation of the shape evolution of pinned sessile microdroplets and free droplet clusters in sprays, and (3) characterization of both the heat transfer performance of pinned microdroplets and the overall ejection behavior. Results elucidate the complex physics governing two different droplet formation regimes, while also directly applying observations to two emerging implementations of microdroplets

PARTIAL NEEDLE LIFT AND INJECTION RATE SHAPE EFFECT ON THE FORMATION AND COMBUSTION OF THE DIESEL SPRAY

Fuel direct injection represents one of the key turning points in the development of the Diesel engines. The appeal of this solution has been growing thanks to the parallel advancement in the technology of the injection hardware and in the knowledge of the physics involved in the spray formation and combustion. In the present thesis, the effect of partial needle lift and injection rate shaping has been investigated experimentally using a multi-orifice Diesel injector. Injection rate shaping is one of the most attractive alternatives to multiple injection strategies but its implementation has been for long time impeded by technological limitations. A novel direct-acting injector prototype made it possible to carry out the present research: this injector features a mechanical coupling between the nozzle needle and the piezo-stack actuator, allowing a fully flexible control on the nozzle needle movement and enabling partial needle lift as well as the implementation of alternative injection rate shapes typologies. Different optical diagnostics were applied to study the spray development and combustion in a novel continuous flow test chamber that allows an accurate control on a wide range of thermodynamic conditions (up to 1000K and 15MPa). In addition, hydraulic characterization tests were carried out to analyze the fuel flow through the injector nozzle. Partial needle lift has been found to affect the injection event, reducing the mass flow rate (as expected) but also causing a reduction in the effective orifice area and an increase on the spreading angle. Moreover, at this condition, higher hole-to-hole dispersion and flow instabilities were detected. Needle vibrations caused by the needle interactions with fuel flow and by the onset of cavitation in the needle seat are likely the causes of this behavior. Injection rate shaping has a substantial impact on the premixed phase of the combustion and on the location where the ignition takes place. Furthermore, the results proved that the modifications in the internal flow caused by the partial needle lift are reflected on the ignition timing. On the other hand, the analysis of the experimental data through a 1D spray model revealed that an increasing mass flow rate (e.g. ramp or boot injection rate profiles) causes an increase in the fuelair equivalence ratio at the lift-off length and a consequent higher soot formation during the diffusive phase of the combustion. Finally, the wide range of boundary conditions tested in all the experiments served to draw general conclusions about the physics involved in the injection/combustion event and, in some cases, to obtain statistical correlations.Bardi, M. (2014). PARTIAL NEEDLE LIFT AND INJECTION RATE SHAPE EFFECT ON THE FORMATION AND COMBUSTION OF THE DIESEL SPRAY [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/37374TESI

Experimental study of the diesel spray behavior during the jet-wall interaction at high pressure and high temperature conditions

[EN] The potential of diesel engines in terms of robustness, efficiency and energy density has made them widely used as power generators and propulsion systems. Specifically, fuel atomization, vaporization and air-fuel mixing, have a fundamental effect on the combustion process, and consequently, a direct impact on pollutant formation, fuel consumption and noise emission. Since the combustion chamber has a limited space respect to the spray penetration, wall impingement is considered to be a common event in direct injection diesel engines, having a relevant influence in the spray evolution and its interaction with both surrounding air and solid walls. This makes of spray-wall interaction an important factor for the combustion process that is still hardly understood. At cold-start conditions, the low in-chamber pressures and temperatures promote the deposition of fuel in the piston wall, which leads to a boost in the formation of unburned hydrocarbons. Additionally, modern design trends such as the increment of rail pressures in injection systems and the progressive reduction of the engine displacement, favor the emergence of spray collision onto the walls. In spite of the evident relevance of the comprehension of this phenomenon and the efforts of engine researchers to reach it, the transient nature of injection process, its small time scales and the complexity of the physical phenomena that take place in the vicinity of the wall, make challenging the direct observation of this spray-wall interaction. Even though computational tools have proven to be priceless in this field of study, the need for reliable experimental data for the development of those predictive models is present. This thesis is aimed to shed light on the fundamental characteristics of spray-wall interaction (SWI) at diesel-like chamber conditions. A flat wall was set at different impingement distances and angles respect to the spray. In this way, two different kinds of experimental investigations on colliding sprays were carried out: A transparent quartz wall was employed into the chamber to, in isolation, analyze the macroscopic characteristics of the spray at both evaporative inert and reactive conditions, which have been observed laterally and through the wall, thanks to the use of a high-pressure and high-temperature vessel with optical accesses. This same test rig was used in the second kind of experiments, where instead of the quartz plate, a stainless steel wall was used to capture the effect of the operating conditions on the heat flux between the wall and the spray during the injection-combustion events and to determine how spray and flame evolution are affected by realistic heat transfer situations. This wall was instrumented to control its initial in-chamber surface temperature and to measure its variation with time by using high-speed thermocouples. Tests at free-jet conditions were also performed in order to provide a solid comparative base for those experiments.[ES] El potencial de los motores diesel en términos de robustez, eficiencia y la densidad de energía los ha hecho ser ampliamente usados como generadores de energía y sistemas propulsivos. Específicamente, la atomización de combustible, vaporización y mezcla de aire y combustible tienen un efecto fundamental en el proceso de combustión y, en consecuencia, un impacto directo en la formación de emisiones contaminantes, consumo de combustible y generación de ruido. Dado que la cámara de combustión tiene un espacio limitado con respecto la capacidad de penetración del chorro, el impacto de la pared se considera bastante común en motores de inyección directa diésel, que tienen una influencia relevante en la evolución del chorro y su interacción con el aire circundante y las paredes sólidas. Esto hace de interacción chorro-pared, un factor importante para el proceso de combustión que aún es dificilmente comprendido. En condiciones de arranque en frío, las bajas presiones y temperaturas en la cámara promueven la deposición de combustible en la pared del pistón, lo que conduce a un aumento en los niveles de formación de hidrocarburos no quemados. Además, las tendencias modernas de diseño como el incremento de las presiones de rail en los sistemas de inyección y la progresiva reducción en la cilindrada de los motores, favorecen la aparición de colisiones entre chorro y pared. A pesar de la evidente importancia en la comprensión de este fenómeno y los esfuerzos de los investigadores para alcanzarla, la transitoria naturaleza del proceso de inyección, sus pequeñas escalas de temporales y la complejidad de los fenómenos físicos que tienen lugar en las proximidades de la pared, hacen que la observación directa de esta interacción chorro-pared sea un desafío. Aunque las herramientas computacionales han demostrado ser invaluables en este campo de estudio, la necesidad de datos experimentales confiables para el desarrollo de esos modelos predictivos está muy presente. Esta tesis tiene como objetivo arrojar luz sobre las características fundamentales de la interacción chorro-pared (SWI por sus siglas en inglés) en condiciones de cámara similares a las de un motor diesel. Se colocó una pared plana a diferentes distancias de impacto y ángulos con respecto al jet. De esta manera, dos tipos diferentes de investigaciones experimentales sobre chorros en colisión se llevaron a cabo: se empleó una pared de cuarzo transparente en la cámara para, de forma aislada, analizar las características macroscópicas del chorro en condiciones evaporativas inertes y reactivas, que pueden observarse lateralmente y a través de la pared, gracias al uso de una instalación de alta presión y alta temperatura ópticamente accesible. Esta misma instalación se utilizó en el segundo tipo de experimentos en los que se introdujo una pared de acero inoxidable para capturar adicionalmente el efecto de las condiciones de operación en el flujo de calor entre ésta y el chorro durante los eventos de inyección y combustión y para determinar cómo la evolución del chorro y la llama son afectadas por una situación realista de transferencia de calor. Esta pared fue instrumentada para controlar la temperatura inicial de su superficie expuesta a la cámara y medir su variación con el tiempo, utilizando termopares de alta velocidad. Ensayos en condiciones de chorro libre también se realizaron para proporcionar una base comparativa sólida para esos experimentos.[CA] El potencial dels motors dièsel en termes de robustesa, eficiència i la densitat d'energia els ha fet ser àmpliament usats com a generadors d'energia i sistemes propulsius. Específicament, l'atomització de combustible, vaporització i barreja d'aire i combustible tenen un efecte fonamental en el procés de combustió i, en conseqüència, un impacte directe en la formació d'emissions contaminants, consum de combustible i generació de soroll. Atès que la cambra de combustió té un espai limitat pel que fa la capacitat de penetració de l'raig, l'impacte de la paret es considera bastant comú en motors d'injecció directa dièsel, que tenen una influència rellevant en l'evolució del doll i la seva interacció amb el aire circumdant i les parets sòlides. Això fa d'interacció doll-paret, un factor important per al procés de combustió que encara és difícilment comprès. En condicions d'arrencada en fred, les baixes pressions i temperatures a la cambra promouen la deposició de combustible a la paret del pistó, el que condueix a un augment en els nivells de formació d'hidrocarburs no cremats. A més, les tendències modernes de disseny com l'increment de les pressions de rail en els sistemes d'injecció i la progressiva reducció en la cilindrada dels motors, afavoreixen l'aparició de col·lisions entre el doll i la paret. Tot i l'evident importància en la comprensió d'aquest fenomen i els esforços dels investigadors per aconseguir-la, la transitòria naturalesa de l'procés d'injecció, les seves petites escales de temporals i la complexitat dels fenòmens físics que tenen lloc en les proximitats de la paret , fan que l'observació directa d'aquesta interacció doll-paret siga un desafiament. Tot i que les eines computacionals han demostrat ser invaluables en aquest camp d'estudi, la necessitat de dades experimentals fiables per al desenvolupament d'aquests models predictius està molt present. Aquesta tesi té com a objectiu donar llum sobre les característiques fonamentals de la interacció doll-paret (SWI per les seues sigles en anglès) en condicions de cambra similars a les d'un motor dièsel. Es va col·locar una paret plana a diferents distàncies d'impacte i angles pel que fa al jet. D'aquesta manera, dos tipus diferents d'investigacions experimentals sobre dolls en col·lisió es van dur a terme: es va emprar una paret de quars transparent a la cambra per, de forma aïllada, analitzar les característiques macroscòpiques del doll en condicions evaporació inerts i reactives, que poden observar lateralment i a través de la paret, gràcies a l'ús d'una instal·lació d'alta pressió i alta temperatura òpticament accessible. Aquesta mateixa instal·lació es va utilitzar en el segon tipus d'experiments en els quals es va introduir una paret d'acer inoxidable per capturar addicionalment l'efecte de les condicions d'operació en el flux de calor entre aquesta i el dull durant els esdeveniments d'injecció i combustió i per determinar com l'evolució del doll i la flama són afectades per una situació realista de transferència de calor. Aquesta paret va ser instrumentada per controlar la temperatura inicial de la seua superfície exposada a la càmera i mesurar la seua variació amb el temps, utilitzant termoparells d'alta velocitat. Assajos en condicions de doll lliure també es van realitzar per proporcionar una base comparativa sòlida per a aquests experiments.Peraza Ávila, JE. (2020). Experimental study of the diesel spray behavior during the jet-wall interaction at high pressure and high temperature conditions [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/149389TESI

DEVELOPMENT OF A COMPUTATIONAL MODEL FOR A SIMULTANEOUS SIMULATION OF INTERNAL FLOW AND SPRAY BREAK-UP OF THE DIESEL INJECTION PROCESS

El proceso de atomización desde una vena o lámina líquida hasta multitud de gotas dispersas en un medio gaseoso ha sido un fenómeno de interés desde hace varias décadas, especialmente en el campo de los motores de combustión interna alternativos. Multitud de estudios experimentales han sido publicados al respecto, pues una buena mezcla de aire-combustible asegura una evaporación y combustión mucho más eficientes, aumentando la potencia del motor y reduciendo la cantidad de contaminantes emitidos. Con el auge de las técnicas computacionales, muchos modelos han sido desarrollados para estudiar este proceso de atomización y mezcla. Uno de los últimos modelos que han aparecido es el llamado ELSA (Eulerian-Lagrangian Spray Atomization), que utiliza un modelo Euleriano para la parte densa del chorro y cambia a un modelo Lagrangiano cuando la concentración de líquido es suficientemente pequeña, aprovechando de esta manera las ventajas de ambos. En el presente trabajo se ha desarrollado un modelo puramente Euleriano para estudiar la influencia de la geometría interna de la tobera de inyección en el proceso de atomización y mezcla. Se ha estudiado únicamente el proceso de inyección diésel. Este modelo permite resolver en un único dominio el flujo interno y el externo, evitando así las comunes simplificaciones y limitaciones de la interpolación entre ambos dominios resueltos por separado. Los resultados actuales son prometedores, el modelo predice con un error aceptable la penetración del chorro, el flujo másico y de cantidad de movimiento, los perfiles de velocidad y concentración, así como otros parámetros característicos del chorro.Martí Gómez-Aldaraví, P. (2014). DEVELOPMENT OF A COMPUTATIONAL MODEL FOR A SIMULTANEOUS SIMULATION OF INTERNAL FLOW AND SPRAY BREAK-UP OF THE DIESEL INJECTION PROCESS [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/43719TESISPremios Extraordinarios de tesis doctorale

A Combinatorial Method for Discovery of BaTiO3-based Positive Temperature Coefficient Resistors

PhDThe conventional materials discovery is a kind of empirical (“trial and error”) science that of handling one sample at a time in the processes of synthesis and characterization. However, combinatorial methodologies present the possibility of a vastly increased rate of discovery of novel materials which will require a great deal of conventional laboratory work. The work presented in this thesis, involved the practice of a conceptual framework of combinatorial research on BaTiO3-based positive temperature coefficient resistor (PTCR) materials. Those including (i) fabrication of green BaTiO3 base discs via high-throughput dip-pen printing method. Preparation and formulation of BaTiO3 inks (selection of dispersant and binder/volume fraction) were studied. The shape of drying residues and the morphogenesis control of droplet drying were discussed. (ii) investigation of a fast droplet-doping method, which induced the dopant precursor solution infiltrating into the porous BT base disc. Various characterization methods were used to examine the dopant distribution in the body of disc. (iii) devising a high-throughput electrical measurement system including an integrated unit of temperature control and automatic measurement operation, and an arrayed multichannel jig. (iv) synthesis of donor-doped BaTiO3 libraries, which involved lanthanum, erbium, yttrium as donor elements and manganese as an acceptor dopant element respectively. Their temperature dependant resistivities were also explored. The work successfully developed an integrated tool including high-throughput synthesis of a large batch of libraries and high-throughput electrical property measurement for combinatorial research on BaTiO3-based PTCR ceramics. The Abstract ii combinatorial method, thus validated, has the potential to deliver dopant-doped BTbased PTCR libraries rapidly with a very wide range of dopant mixtures and concentrations for electrical property measurement and deserves to be applied to other low level dopant ceramic systems. These approaches are novel and paving the way for other new materials selection and materials research

Research Symposium I

The proceedings of this symposium consist of abstracts of talks presented by interns at NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC). The interns assisted researchers at GRC in projects which primarily address the following topics: aircraft engines and propulsion, spacecraft propulsion, fuel cells, thin film photovoltaic cells, aerospace materials, computational fluid dynamics, aircraft icing, management, and computerized simulation

NASA Tech Briefs, January 2013

Topics include: Single-Photon-Sensitive HgCdTe Avalanche Photodiode Detector; Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Using Silica Whispering-Gallery Mode Resonators; 3D Hail Size Distribution Interpolation/Extrapolation Algorithm; Color-Changing Sensors for Detecting the Presence of Hypergolic Fuels; Artificial Intelligence Software for Assessing Postural Stability; Transformers: Shape-Changing Space Systems Built with Robotic Textiles; Fibrillar Adhesive for Climbing Robots; Using Pre-Melted Phase Change Material to Keep Payloads in Space Warm for Hours without Power; Development of a Centrifugal Technique for the Microbial Bioburden Analysis of Freon (CFC-11); Microwave Sinterator Freeform Additive Construction System (MS-FACS); DSP/FPGA Design for a High-Speed Programmable S-Band Space Transceiver; On-Chip Power-Combining for High-Power Schottky Diode-Based Frequency Multipliers; FPGA Vision Data Architecture; Memory Circuit Fault Simulator; Ultra-Compact Transputer-Based Controller for High-Level, Multi-Axis Coordination; Regolith Advanced Surface Systems Operations Robot Excavator; Magnetically Actuated Seal; Hybrid Electrostatic/Flextensional Mirror for Lightweight, Large-Aperture, and Cryogenic Space Telescopes; System for Contributing and Discovering Derived Mission and Science Data; Remote Viewer for Maritime Robotics Software; Stackfile Database; Reachability Maps for In Situ Operations; JPL Space Telecommunications Radio System Operating Environment; RFI-SIM: RFI Simulation Package; ION Configuration Editor; Dtest Testing Software; IMPaCT - Integration of Missions, Programs, and Core Technologies; Integrated Systems Health Management (ISHM) Toolkit; Wind-Driven Wireless Networked System of Mobile Sensors for Mars Exploration; In Situ Solid Particle Generator; Analysis of the Effects of Streamwise Lift Distribution on Sonic Boom Signature; Rad-Tolerant, Thermally Stable, High-Speed Fiber-Optic Network for Harsh Environments; Towed Subsurface Optical Communications Buoy; High-Collection-Efficiency Fluorescence Detection Cell; Ultra-Compact, Superconducting Spectrometer-on-a-Chip at Submillimeter Wavelengths; UV Resonant Raman Spectrometer with Multi-Line Laser Excitation; Medicine Delivery Device with Integrated Sterilization and Detection; Ionospheric Simulation System for Satellite Observations and Global Assimilative Model Experiments - ISOGAME; Airborne Tomographic Swath Ice Sounding Processing System; flexplan: Mission Planning System for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter; Estimating Torque Imparted on Spacecraft Using Telemetry; PowderSim: Lagrangian Discrete and Mesh-Free Continuum Simulation Code for Cohesive Soils; Multiple-Frame Detection of Subpixel Targets in Thermal Image Sequences; Metric Learning to Enhance Hyperspectral Image Segmentation; Basic Operational Robotics Instructional System; Sheet Membrane Spacesuit Water Membrane Evaporator; Advanced Materials and Manufacturing for Low-Cost, High-Performance Liquid Rocket Combustion Chambers; Motor Qualification for Long-Duration Mars Missions