Charlotte Barbier

Liquid Microjunction Surface Sampling Probe Fluid Dynamics: Computational and Experimental Analysis of Coaxial Intercapillary Positioning Effects on Sample Manipulation

A coaxial geometry liquid microjunction surface sampling probe (LMJ-SSP) enables direct extraction of analytes from surfaces for subsequent analysis by techniques like mass spectrometry. Solution dynamics at the probe-to-sample surface interface in the LMJ-SSP has been suspected to influence sampling efficiency and dispersion but has not been rigorously investigated. The effect on flow dynamics and analyte transport to the mass spectrometer caused by coaxial retraction of the inner and outer capillaries from each other and the surface during sampling with a LMJ-SSP was investigated using computational fluid dynamics and experimentation. A transparent LMJ-SSP was constructed to provide the means for visual observation of the dynamics of the surface sampling process. Visual observation, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis, and experimental results revealed that inner capillary axial retraction from the flush position relative to the outer capillary transitioned the probe from a continuous sampling and injection mode through an intermediate regime to sample plug formation mode caused by eddy currents at the sampling end of the probe. The potential for analytical implementation of these newly discovered probe operational modes is discussed.

AIR FLOW AND HEAT TRANSFER IN A TEMPERATURE-CONTROLLED OPEN TOP ENCLOSURE

A large 12-meter-diameter open top enclosure (OTE) equipped with two unique belowground and above ground heating systems was built and intensively tested in Oak Ridge, TN, USA. The OTE is a prototype for use within an environmental change experiment, in which replica units will be built in Minnesota to assess the response of northern peatland ecosystems to increases in temperature and elevated atmospheric CO2. For several months, temperatures, energy, wind speed and relative humidity were monitored throughout the enclosure space to assess the enclosure performance and efficiency. In parallel, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations were performed with ANSYS-CFX to investigate the impacts of external wind, buoyancy, and OTE design on the temperatures achieved within the enclosure. The addition of a frustum that partially reduced the top opening was also investigated experimentally and numerically. The OTE is capable of achieving a temperature differential of at least +6°C for air using a combination of 8 electrical heaters. Differential temperatures were sustained for several months. The experimental data and the numerical results showed that the addition of a frustum dramatically decreases the operating cost of the OTE and leads to better control over the differential air temperature in the enclosure. Buoyancy forces and winds heavily impacted enclosure performance. It was also found that the heating efficiency of the OTE depends mainly on the wind speed, and that there exists a critical wind speed at which the heating efficiency is the highest.Copyright

Drag Reduction With Superhydrophobic Riblets

Samples combining riblets and superhydrophobic surfaces are fabricated at University of Pittsburgh and their drag reduction properties are studied at the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences (CNMS) in Oak Ridge National Laboratory with a commercial cone-and-plate rheometer. In parallel to the experiments, numerical simulations are performed in order to estimate the slip length at high rotational speed. For each sample, a drag reduction of at least 5% is observed in both laminar and turbulent regime. At low rotational speed, drag reduction up to 30% is observed with a 1 mm deep grooved sample. As the rotational speed increases, a secondary flow develops causing a slight decrease in drag reductions. However, drag reduction above 15% is still observed for the large grooved samples. In the turbulent regime, the 100 μm grooved sample becomes more efficient than the other samples in drag reduction and manages to sustain a drag reduction above 15%. Using the simulations, the slip length of the 100 μm grooved sample is estimated to be slightly above 100 μm in the turbulent regime.Copyright

NUMERICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF THE FLOW IN THE SNS JET FLOW TARGET

Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) numerical simulations were performed for the flow inside the Spallation Neutron Source jet-flow target vessel at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Different flow rates and beam conditions were tested to cover all the functioning range of the target, but for brevity, only the nominal case with a mass flow rate of 185 kg/s and a beam power of 1.54MW is presented here. The heat deposition rate from the proton beam was computed using the general-purpose Monte Carlo radiation transport code MCNPX and the commercial CFD code ANSYS-CFX was used to determine the flow velocity in the mercury and the temperature fields in both the mercury and the stainless steel vessel. Boundary conditions, turbulence model and mesh effects are presented in depth. To validate the numerical approach, Particle Imagery Velocimetry (PIV) measurements on a water-loop setup with an acrylic jet-flow target mock-up were performed and compared to the numerical simulations. It was found that a sustained wall jet was developed across the whole length of the vulnerable surface, confirming the good design of the jet-flow target. Overall, good agreements were observed between the experiments and the simulations: the velocity contours and the shape of the recirculation zone near the side baffle are qualitatively similar. However, some differences were also observed that underlines the shortcomings of both the numerical simulations and the experimental measurements.Copyright