Pietro Poesio

Mechanisms of Molecular Permeation through Nanoporous Graphene Membranes

We present an investigation of molecular permeation of gases through nanoporous graphene membranes via molecular dynamics simulations; four different gases are investigated, namely helium, hydrogen, nitrogen, and methane. We show that in addition to the direct (gas-kinetic) flux of molecules crossing from the bulk phase on one side of the graphene to the bulk phase on the other side, for gases that adsorb onto the graphene, significant contribution to the flux across the membrane comes from a surface mechanism by which molecules cross after being adsorbed onto the graphene surface. Our results quantify the relative contribution of the bulk and surface mechanisms and show that the direct flux can be described reasonably accurately using kinetic theory, provided the latter is appropriately modified assuming steric molecule-pore interactions, with gas molecules behaving as hard spheres of known kinetic diameters. The surface flux is negligible for gases that do not adsorb onto graphene (e.g., He and H2), while for gases that adsorb (e.g., CH4 and N2) it can be on the order of the direct flux or larger. Our results identify a nanopore geometry that is permeable to hydrogen and helium, is significantly less permeable to nitrogen, and is essentially impermeable to methane, thus validating previous suggestions that nanoporous graphene membranes can be used for gas separation. We also show that molecular permeation is strongly affected by pore functionalization; this observation may be sufficient to explain the large discrepancy between simulated and experimentally measured transport rates through nanoporous graphene membranes.

Core-annular flow through a horizontal pipe: Hydrodynamic counterbalancing of buoyancy force on core

A theoretical investigation has been made of core-annular flow: the flow of a high-viscosity liquid core surrounded by a low-viscosity liquid annular layer through a horizontal pipe. Special attention is paid to the question of how the buoyancy force on the core, caused by a density difference between the core and the annular layer, is counterbalanced. From earlier studies it is known that at the interface between the annular layer and the core waves are present that move with respect to the pipe wall. In the present study the core is assumed to consist of a solid center surrounded by a high-viscosity liquid layer. Using hydrodynamic lubrication theory (taking into account the flow in the low-viscosity liquid annular layer and in the high-viscosity liquid core layer) the development of the interfacial waves is calculated. They generate pressure variations in the core layer and annular layer that can cause a net force on the core. Steady eccentric core-annular flow is found to be possible.

An investigation of the influence of acoustic waves on the liquid flow through a porous material

An experimental and theoretical investigation has been made of the influence of high-frequency acoustic waves on the flow of a liquid through a porous material. The experiments have been performed on Berea sandstone cores. Two acoustic horns were used with frequencies of 20 and 40 kHz, and with maximum power output of 2 and 0.7 kW, respectively. Also, a temperature measurement of the flowing liquid inside the core was made. A high external pressure was applied in order to avoid cavitation. The acoustic waves were found to produce a significant effect on the pressure gradient at constant liquid flow rate through the core samples. During the application of acoustic waves the pressure gradient inside the core decreases. This effect turned out to be due to the decrease of the liquid viscosity caused by an increase in liquid temperature as a result of the acoustic energy dissipation inside the porous material. Also, a theoretical model has been developed to calculate the dissipation effect on the viscosity and on the pressure gradient. The model predictions are in reasonable agreement with the experimental data.

Removal of small particles from a porous material by ultrasonic irradiation

A study has been made of the removal of small particles from a porous material by means of ultrasonic irradiation. To that purpose a microscopic theoretical model has been developed to calculate the force of a traveling acoustic wave on a spherical particle attached to the wall of a smooth, cylindrical pore inside the porous material. This force was compared with the adhesion force between a small particle and a pore wall. From the comparison between the two forces the conditions were found, at which particles are detached from pore walls and removed from the porous material. The transformation of the results gained from the microscopic model to macroscopic property (permeability) of the porous material was made by means of the Kozeny relation. The aim is to be able to understand and predict qualitatively the influence of relevant parameters on the ultrasonic cleaning process. Predictions made with the theoretical model were compared with data from experiments carried out with ultrasound to remove particles from Berea sandstone. The agreement is reasonable.

Interaction and collisions between particles in a linear shear flow near a wall at low Reynolds number

The flow field around pairs of small particles moving and rotating in a shear flow close to a wall at low but finite Reynolds number (Re) is computed as a function of time by means of the lattice-Boltzmann technique. The total force and torque acting on each particle is computed at each time step and the position of the particles is updated. By considering the lift force and the disturbances induced by the particles, the trajectories of the pair of particles are explained as a function of the distances from the wall and the Reynolds number. It is shown that when particles are positioned in a particular form, they collide forming strings. In particular, we are interested in particle-bridge formation in shear flows, and two collided particles (a string) can be considered as a nucleus of a particle bridge.

Characteristics of stratified flows of Newtonian/non-Newtonian shear-thinning fluids

Abstract Exact solutions for laminar stratified flows of Newtonian/non-Newtonian shear-thinning fluids in horizontal and inclined channels are presented. An iterative algorithm is proposed to compute the laminar solution for the general case of a Carreau non-Newtonian fluid. The exact solution is used to study the effect of the rheology of the shear-thinning liquid on two-phase flow characteristics considering both gas/liquid and liquid/liquid systems. Concurrent and counter-current inclined systems are investigated, including the mapping of multiple solution boundaries. Aspects relevant to practical applications are discussed, such as the insitu hold-up, or lubrication effects achieved by adding a less viscous phase. A characteristic of this family of systems is that, even if the liquid has a complex rheology (Carreau fluid), the two-phase stratified flow can behave like the liquid is Newtonian for a wide range of operational conditions. The capability of the two-fluid model to yield satisfactory predictions in the presence of shear-thinning liquids is tested, and an algorithm is proposed to a priori predict if the Newtonian (zero shear rate viscosity) behaviour arises for a given operational conditions in order to avoid large errors in the predictions of flow characteristics when the power-law is considered for modelling the shear-thinning behaviour. Two-fluid model closures implied by the exact solution and the effect of a turbulent gas layer are also addressed.

Effect of particle inertia and gravity on the turbulence in a suspension

A theoretical model is presented for the effect of particle inertia and gravity on the turbulence in a homogeneous suspension. It is an extension of the one-fluid model developed by L’vov, Ooms, and Pomyalov [Phys. Rev. E 67, 046314 (2003)] , in which the effect of gravity was not considered. In the extended model the particles are assumed to settle in the fluid under the influence of gravity due to the fact that their density is larger than the fluid density. The generation of turbulence by the settling particles is described, with special attention being paid to the turbulence intensity and spectra. A comparison is made with direct numerical simulation calculations and experimental data. Also a sensitivity study is carried out to investigate at which conditions the gravity effect becomes important.

Influence of High-Frequency Acoustic Waves on the Flow of a Liquid through Porous Material: Experimental and Theoretical Investigation

In this paper the effect of ultrasound on flow through porous media has been investigated both experimentally and theoretically. Ultrasounds (20 and 40 kHz) have been proved to increase the flow rate through porous media. Two effects have been found of relevance. Decrease in viscosity due to dissipation of acoustic waves and acoustic streaming. The two effects have been modeled and those models compared with experimental data.

Autonomous Sensors Powered by Energy Harvesting from von Karman Vortices in Airflow

In this paper an energy harvesting system based on a piezoelectric converter to extract energy from airflow and use it to power battery-less sensors is presented. The converter is embedded as a part of a flexure beam that is put into vibrations by von Karman vortices detached from a bluff body placed upstream. The vortex street has been investigated by Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations, aiming at assessing the vortex shedding frequency as a function of the flow velocity. From the simulation results the preferred positioning of the beam behind the bluff body has been derived. In the experimental characterization the electrical output from the converter has been measured for different flow velocities and beam orientations. Highest conversion effectiveness is obtained by an optimal orientation of the beam, to exploit the maximum forcing, and for flow velocities where the repetition frequency of the vortices allows to excite the beam resonant frequency at its first flexural mode. The possibility to power battery-less sensors and make them autonomous has been shown by developing an energy management and signal conditioning electronic circuit plus two sensors for measuring temperature and flow velocity and transmitting their values over a RF signal. A harvested power of about 650 μW with retransmission intervals below 2 min have been obtained for the optimal flow velocity of 4 m/s.

An experimental and theoretical investigation of the influence of high-frequency acoustic waves on the flow of a liquid through a porous material

An experimental and theoretical investigation has been made of the influence of high-frequency acoustic waves on the flow of a liquid through a porous material. The experiments have been performed on Berea Sandstone cores.