Four methods for measuring the solubilities of gases and vapors in liquids and polymers

This review is dedicated to professors Alexey Morachevsky and Natalia Smirnova to celebrate their distinguished contributions to research and education at the University of St.Petersburg.Peer reviewedPreprintPublisher PD

Modeling of droplet breakup in a microfluidic T--shaped junction with a phase--field model

A phase--field method is applied to the modeling of flow and breakup of droplets in a T--shaped junction in the hydrodynamic regime where capillary and viscous stresses dominate over inertial forces, which is characteristic of microfluidic devices. The transport equations are solved numerically in the three--dimensional geometry, and the dependence of the droplet breakup on the flow rates, surface tension and viscosities of the two components is investigated in detail. The model reproduces quite accurately the phase diagram observed in experiments performed with immiscible fluids. The critical capillary number for droplet breakup depends on the viscosity contrast, with a trend which is analogous to that observed for free isolated droplets in hyperbolic flow

Numerical investigation of high-pressure combustion in rocket engines using Flamelet/Progress-variable models

The present paper deals with the numerical study of high pressure LOx/H2 or LOx/hydrocarbon combustion for propulsion systems. The present research effort is driven by the continued interest in achieving low cost, reliable access to space and more recently, by the renewed interest in hypersonic transportation systems capable of reducing time-to-destination. Moreover, combustion at high pressure has been assumed as a key issue to achieve better propulsive performance and lower environmental impact, as long as the replacement of hydrogen with a hydrocarbon, to reduce the costs related to ground operations and increase flexibility. The current work provides a model for the numerical simulation of high- pressure turbulent combustion employing detailed chemistry description, embedded in a RANS equations solver with a Low Reynolds number k-omega turbulence model. The model used to study such a combustion phenomenon is an extension of the standard flamelet-progress-variable (FPV) turbulent combustion model combined with a Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes equation Solver (RANS). In the FPV model, all of the thermo-chemical quantities are evaluated by evolving the mixture fraction Z and a progress variable C. When using a turbulence model in conjunction with FPV model, a probability density function (PDF) is required to evaluate statistical averages of chemical quantities. The choice of such PDF must be a compromise between computational costs and accuracy level. State- of-the-art FPV models are built presuming the functional shape of the joint PDF of Z and C in order to evaluate Favre-averages of thermodynamic quantities. The model here proposed evaluates the most probable joint distribution of Z and C without any assumption on their behavior.Comment: presented at AIAA Scitech 201

Densities and phase equilibria of hydrogen, propane and vegetable oil mixtures. Experimental data and thermodynamic modeling

Heterogeneous catalytic gas-liquid reactions are intensified when carried out in the homogenous fluid phase by means of a supercritical co-solvent. For instance, supercritical propane is used to enhance yield in the hydrogenation of vegetable oils. Besides phase equilibrium knowledge, volumetric information is also needed to elucidate kinetic mechanisms and design continuous supercritical reactors. In this work, we report new experimental PvT data of the reactive mixture H2+sunflower oil+propane using the isochoric method. In addition, the phase equilibria and PvT data are modeled with the GCA and RK-PR equations of state, respectively. The isochoric method not only provides PvT information under the reaction conditions, but also the reactive system compressibility, key variable to attain enhanced transport properties in the supercritical reactors.Fil: Hegel, Pablo Ezequiel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química; ArgentinaFil: Cotabarren, Natalia Soledad. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química; ArgentinaFil: Brignole, Esteban Alberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química; ArgentinaFil: Pereda, Selva. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química; Argentina. University of KwaZulu-Natal; Sudáfric

Critical Temperatures and Pressures for Hydrocarbon Mixtures Froman Equation of State With Renormalization-Group-Theory Corrections

A recently developed crossover equation of state incorporates contributions from long-wavelength density fluctuations by renormalization-group theory. This equation of state can satisfactorily describes the thermodynamic properties of chain fluids both far-from and near-to the critical region; it is used here to calculate the critical locus of a mixture. Because the calculations require much computation tim, especially for ternary (any higher) mixtures, an interpolation method is used as suggested by Redlich over 30 years ago. For a binary mixture, along the critical line that gives the critical temperature of critical pressure as a function of composition, the limiting slopes at the critical slopes at the critical points of the pure components are explicitly derived from the criteria for a critical point. Logarithmic-hyperbolic interpolation equations are selected to calculate the entire critical line of the binary mixtures; this procedure is then generalized to multicomponent mixtures. Upon comparison with experimental critical lines for binary and multicomponent Type I mixtures of n-alkanes

Protein-salt binding data from potentiometric titrations of lysozyme in aqueous solutions containing KCl

An existing method for potentiometric titrations of proteins was improved, tested and applied to titrations of the enzyme hen-egg-white lysozyme in aqueous solutions containing KCl at ionic strengths from 0.1 M to 2.0 M at 25 C. Information about the protein`s net charge dependence on pH and ionic strength were obtained and salt binding numbers for the system were calculated using a linkage concept. For the pH range 2.5--11.5, the net charge slightly but distinctly increases with increasing ionic strength between 0.1 M and 2.0 M. The differences are most distinct in the pH region below 5. Above pH 11.35, the net charge decreases with increasing ionic strength. Preliminary calculation of binding numbers from titration curves at 0.1 M and 1.0 M showed selective association of chloride anions and expulsion of potassium ions at low pH. Ion-binding numbers from this work will be used to evaluate thermodynamic properties and to correlate crystallization or precipitation phase-equilibrium data in terms of a model based on the integral-equation theory of fluids which is currently under development

Self‐healing encapsulation and controlled release of vaccine antigens from PLGA microparticles delivered by microneedle patches

There is an urgent need to reduce reliance on hypodermic injections for many vaccines to increase vaccination safety and coverage. Alternative approaches include controlled release formulations, which reduce dosing frequencies, and utilizing alternative delivery devices such as microneedle patches (MNPs). This work explores development of controlled release microparticles made of poly (lactic‐co‐glycolic acid) (PLGA) that stably encapsulate various antigens though aqueous active self‐healing encapsulation (ASE). These microparticles are incorporated into rapid‐dissolving MNPs for intradermal vaccination.PLGA microparticles containing Alhydrogel are loaded with antigens separate from microparticle fabrication using ASE. This avoids antigen expsoure to many stressors. The microparticles demonstrate bi‐phasic release, with initial burst of soluble antigen, followed by delayed release of Alhydrogel‐complexed antigen over approximately 2 months in vitro. For delivery, the microparticles are incorporated into MNPs designed with pedestals to extend functional microneedle length. These microneedles readily penetrate skin and rapidly dissolve to deposit microparticles intradermally. Microparticles remain in the tissue for extended residence, with MNP‐induced micropores resealing readily. In animal models, these patches generate robust immune responses that are comparable to conventional administration techniques. This lays the framework for a versatile vaccine delivery system that could be self‐applied with important logistical advantages over hypodermic injections.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/147859/1/btm210103-sup-0001-supinfo.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/147859/2/btm210103_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/147859/3/btm210103.pd

Critical Properties of Polydisperse Fluid Mixtures From Anequation of State

Based on stability theory for plydisperse fluid mixtures, expressions have been developed for the spinodal criterion, critical criterion and various stability tests for systems containing one discrete component and one continuous homologue. Each criterion can be separated into two parts: the first part is the same in form as that for binary systems; when we assume particular mixing rules for parameters of the equation of state, that part is determined only by the average molar mass of the homologue. The second part is concerned with the distribution function that characterizes the continuous component. To illustrate results, the van der Waals equation of state is used to calculate critical properties; the composition dependences of parameters a$sup 1/2$ and b of the van der Waals equation are assumed to be linear functions of molar mass. Numerical results for the critical loci are obtained. For a discrete component i and a continuous component j, systematic variations of parameters in the distribution function for j or of the interaction parameter$sub ij$ show transitions between qualitatively different types of phase behavior