Velocity measurements of a dilute particulate suspension over and through a porous medium model

We experimentally examine pressure-driven flows of 1%, 3%, and 5% dilute suspensions over and through a porous media model. The flow of non-colloidal, non-Brownian suspensions of rigid and spherical particles suspended in a Newtonian fluid is considered at very low Reynolds numbers. The model of porous media consists of square arrays of rods oriented across the flow in a rectangular channel. Systematic experiments using high-spatial-resolution planar particle image velocimetry (PIV) and index-matching techniques are conducted to accurately measure the velocity measurements of both very dilute and solvent flows inside and on top of the porous media model. We found that for 1%, 3%, and 5% dilute suspensions the fully-developed velocity profile inside the free-flow region are well predicted by the exact solution derived from coupling the Navier-Stokes equation within the free flow-region and the volume-averaged Navier Stokes (VANS) equation for the porous media. We further analyze the velocity and shear rate at the suspension-porous interface and compare these data with those of pure suspending fluid and the related analytical solutions. The exact solution is used to define parameters necessary to calculate key values to analyze the porous media/fluid interaction such as Darcy velocity, penetration depth, and fractional ratios of the mass flow rate. These parameters are comparable between the solvent, dilute suspensions, and exact solution. However, we found clear effects between the solvent and the suspensions which shows different physical phenomenon occurring when particles are introduced into a flow moving over and through a porous media.Comment: 38 pages, 10 figure

A flight experiment to determine GPS photochemical contamination accumulation rates

It was recently suggested that photochemically deposited contamination, originating from volatiles outgassed by a spacecraft, may be responsible for the anomalous degradation in power seen on the GPS Block 1 vehicles. In an attempt to confirm, or deny, the photochemical deposition rates predicted, a study was undertaken to design a flight experiment to be incorporated on the GPS vehicles currently in production. The objective was to develop an inexpensive, light weight instrument package that would give information on the contamination levels within a few months of launch. Three types of apparatus were studied, Quartz Crystal Microbalances, (QCM's), modified solar cells, and calorimeters. A calorimeter was selected due primarily to its impact on the production schedule of the GPS vehicles. An analysis of the sensitivity of the final design is compared to the predicted contamination accumulation rates in order to determine how long after launch it will take the experiment to show the effects of photochemical contamination

Antioxidant activity in commonly grown and consumed vegetables: a screening survey

A diet rich in fruits and vegetables is associated with a reduced risk of developing cardiovascular diseases and certain types of cancer. This positive effect is related to bioactive phytochemicals found in plants.The vegetables were grown in the field or in greenhouses at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (59º40’N) during the years 2000-2002. The vegetables were harvested at commercial maturity and analysed for dry matter and antioxidant activity assessed by the FRAP (Ferric Reducing Ability of Plasma) assay. There was a large variation in antioxidant activity both between and within different species. The highest antioxidant activity was observed in kale, red cultivars of cabbage and table beet. The lowest antioxidant activity was observed in lettuce, cucumber, carrots and tomato. The vegetables possessing a red colour showed higher antioxidant activity with the exception of carrots and tomatoes

Confirmation of a Faraday Rotation Measure Anomaly in Cygnus

We confirm the reality of a reversal of the sign of the Faraday Rotation Measure in the Galactic plane in Cygnus (Lazio et al, 1990), possibly associated with the Cygnus OB1 association. The rotation measure changes by several hundred rad/m$^2$ over an angular scale of $2-5^{\circ}$. We show that a simple model of an expanding plasma shell with an enhanced density and magnetic field, consistent with observations of H$\alpha$ emission in this part of sky, and physically associated with a superbubble of the Cygnus OB1 association, can account for the magnitude and angular scale of this feature.Comment: Submitted to the Astrophysical Journa