On the evolution of non-axisymmetric viscous fibres with surface tension, inertia and gravity

We consider the free boundary problem for the evolution of a nearly straight slender fibre of viscous fluid. The motion is driven by prescribing the velocity of the ends of the fibre, and the free surface evolves under the action of surface tension, inertia and gravity. The three-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations and free-surface boundary conditions are analysed asymptotically, using the fact that the inverse aspect ratio, defined to be the ratio between a typical fibre radius and the initial fibre length, is small. This first part of the paper follows earlier work on the stretching of a slender viscous fibre with negligible surface tension effects. The inclusion of surface tension seriously complicates the problem for the evolution of the shape of the cross-section. We adapt ideas applied previously to two-dimensional Stokes flow to show that the shape of the cross-section can be described by means of a conformal map which depends on time and distance along the fibre axis. We give some examples of suitable relevant maps and present numerical solutions of the resulting equations. We also use analytic methods to examine the coupling between stretching and the evolution of the cross-section shape

Fringe Science: Defringing CCD Images with Neon Lamp Flat Fields

Fringing in CCD images is troublesome from the aspect of photometric quality and image flatness in the final reduced product. Additionally, defringing during calibration requires the inefficient use of time during the night to collect and produce a "supersky" fringe frame. The fringe pattern observed in a CCD image for a given near-IR filter is dominated by small thickness variations across the detector with a second order effect caused by the wavelength extent of the emission lines within the bandpass which produce the interference pattern. We show that essentially any set of emission lines which generally match the wavelength coverage of the night sky emission lines within a bandpass will produce an identical fringe pattern. We present an easy, inexpensive, and efficient method which uses a neon lamp as a flat field source and produces high S/N fringe frames to use for defringing an image during the calibration process.Comment: accepted to PAS

Mathematical modelling of the overflowing cylinder experiment

The overflowing cylinder (OFC) is an experimental apparatus designed to generate a controlled straining flow at a free surface, whose dynamic properties may then be investigated. Surfactant solution is pumped up slowly through a vertical cylinder. On reaching the top, the liquid forms a flat free surface which expands radially before overflowing down the side of the cylinder. The velocity, surface tension and surfactant concentration on the expanding free surface are measured using a variety of non-invasive techniques. A mathematical model for the OFC has been previously derived by Breward, Darton, Howell and Ockendon and shown to give satisfactory agreement with experimental results. However, a puzzling indeterminacy in the model renders it unable to predict one scalar parameter (e.g. the surfactant concentration at the centre of the cylinder), which must be therefore be taken from the experiments. In this paper we analyse the OFC model asymptotically and numerically. We show that solutions typically develop one of two possible singularities. In the first, the surface concentration of surfactant reaches zero a finite distance from the cylinder axis, while the surface velocity tends to infinity there. In the second, the surfactant concentration is exponentially large and a stagnation point forms just inside the rim of the cylinder. We propose a criterion for selecting the free parameter, based on the elimination of both singularities, and show that it leads to good agreement with experimental results

Straining flow of a micellar surfactant solution

We present a mathematical model describing the distribution of monomer and micellar surfactant in a steady straining flow beneath a fixed free surface. The model includes adsorption of monomer surfactant at the surface and a single-step reaction whereby $n$ monomer molecules combine to form each micelle. The equations are analysed asymptotically and numerically and the results are compared with experiments. Previous studies of such systems have often assumed equilibrium between the monomer and micellar phases, i.e. that the reaction rate is effectively infinite. Our analysis shows that such an approach inevitably fails under certain physical conditions and also cannot accurately match some experimental results. Our theory provides an improved fit with experiments and allows the reaction rates to be estimated

The drainage of a foam lamella

We present a mathematical model for the drainage of a surfactant-stabilised foam lamella, including capillary, Marangoni and viscous effects and allowing for diffusion, advection and adsorption of the surfactant molecules. We use the slender geometry of a lamella to formulate the model in the thin-film limit and perform an asymptotic decomposition of the liquid domain into a capillary-static Plateau border, a time-dependent thin film and a transition region between the two. By solving a quasi-steady boundary-value problem in the transition region, we obtain the flux of liquid from the lamella into the Plateau border and thus are able to determine the rate at which the lamella drains. Our method is illustrated initially in the surfactant-free case. Numerical results are presented for three particular parameter regimes of interest when surfactant is present. Both monotonic profiles and those exhibiting a dimple near the Plateau border are found, the latter having been previously observed in experiments. The velocity field may be uniform across the lamella or of parabolic Poiseuille type, with fluid either driven out along the centre-line and back along the free surfaces or vice versa. We find that diffusion may be negligible for a typical real surfactant, although this does not lead to a reduction in order because of the inherently diffusive nature of the fluid-surfactant interaction. Finally, we obtain the surprising result that the flux of liquid from the lamella into the Plateau border increases as the lamella thins, approaching infinity at a finite lamella thickness

High-temperature thermal storage systems for advanced solar receivers materials selections

Advanced space power systems that use solar energy and Brayton or Stirling heat engines require thermal energy storage (TES) systems to operate continuously through periods of shade. The receiver storage units, key elements in both Brayton and Stirling systems, are designed to use the latent heat of fusion of phase-change materials (PCMs). The power systems under current consideration for near-future National Aeronautics and Space Administration space missions require working fluid temperatures in the 1100 to 1400 K range. The PCMs under current investigation that gave liquid temperatures within this range are the fluoride family of salts. However, these salts have low thermal conductivity, which causes large temperature gradients in the storage systems. Improvements can be obtained, however, with the use of thermal conductivity enhancements or metallic PCMs. In fact, if suitable containment materials can be found, the use of metallic PCMs would virtually eliminate the orbit associated temperature variations in TES systems. The high thermal conductivity and generally low volume change on melting of germanium and alloys based on silicon make them attractive for storage of thermal energy in space power systems. An approach to solving the containment problem, involving both chemical and physical compatibility, preparation of NiSi/NiSi2, and initial results for containment of germanium and NiSi/NiSi2, are presented

Test particle propagation in magnetostatic turbulence. 3: The approach to equilibrium

The asymptotic behavior, for large time, of the quasi-linear diabatic solutions and their local approximations is considered. A time averaging procedure is introduced which yields the averages of these solutions over time intervals which contain only large time values. A discussion of the quasi-linear diabatic solutions which is limited to those solutions that are bounded from below as functions of time is given. It is shown that as the upper limit of the time averaging interval is allowed to approach infinity the time averaged quasi-linear diabatic solutions must approach isotropy (mu-independence). The first derivative with respect to mu of these solutions is also considered. This discussion is limited to first derivatives which are bounded functions of time. It is shown that as the upper limit of the time averaging interval is allowed to approach infinity, the time averaged first derivative must approach zero everywhere in mu except at mu = 0 where it must approach a large value which is calculated. The impact of this large derivative on the quasi-linear expansion scheme is discussed. An H-theorem for the first local approximation to the quasi-linear diabatic solutions is constructed. Without time averaging, the H-theorem is used to determine sufficient conditions for the first local approximate solutions to asymptote, with increasing time, to exactly the same final state which the time averaged quasi-linear diabatic solutions must approach as discussed above

Test particle propagation in magnetostatic turbulence. 2: The local approximation method

An approximation method for statistical mechanics is presented and applied to a class of problems which contains a test particle propagation problem. All of the available basic equations used in statistical mechanics are cast in the form of a single equation which is integrodifferential in time and which is then used as the starting point for the construction of the local approximation method. Simplification of the integrodifferential equation is achieved through approximation to the Laplace transform of its kernel. The approximation is valid near the origin in the Laplace space and is based on the assumption of small Laplace variable. No other small parameter is necessary for the construction of this approximation method. The n'th level of approximation is constructed formally, and the first five levels of approximation are calculated explicitly. It is shown that each level of approximation is governed by an inhomogeneous partial differential equation in time with time independent operator coefficients. The order in time of these partial differential equations is found to increase as n does. At n = 0 the most local first order partial differential equation which governs the Markovian limit is regained

Test particle propagation in magnetostatic turbulence. 1. Failure of the diffusion approximation

The equation which governs the quasi-linear approximation to the ensemble and gyro-phase averaged one-body probability distribution function is constructed from first principles. This derived equation is subjected to a thorough investigation in order to calculate the possible limitations of the quasi-linear approximation. It is shown that the reduction of this equation to a standard diffusion equation in the Markovian limit can be accomplished through the application of the adiabatic approximation. A numerical solution of the standard diffusion equation in the Markovian limit is obtained for the narrow parallel beam injection. Comparison of the diabatic and adiabatic results explicitly demonstrates the failure of the Markovian description of the probability distribution function. Through the use of a linear time-scale extension the failure of the adiabatic approximation, which leads to the Markovian limit, is shown to be due to mixing of the relaxation and interaction time scales in the presence of the strong mean field