R. Balasubramaniam

Diffusion flame-holes

Recent models of straight diffusion flame edges are extended to consider the effect of a curved edge forming the perimeter of an axisymmetric ‘hole’, where a burning flame surrounds a quenched inner region. For ‘free’ flame-holes (without a heat sink near the axis), at small Damkohler number (Da), the holes grow if the initial radius is large but shrink if it is small. For large Da, the holes shrink for any initial radius. Thus, free flame-holes are not stable for any Da, which is consistent with experimental observations. When the flame-hole is ‘anchored’ by a heat sink near to the axis, stationary holes of finite radius can exist for sufficiently high Da, but the solutions revert to ‘free’ hole behaviour for radii sufficiently larger than the heat sink radius. Based on these results, it is suggested that quasi-stationary flame-holes are not likely to be a common feature of turbulent diffusion flames, except possibly when large lateral gradients of Da are present due to intense vortices passing through t...

Development of an interferometer for measurement of the diffusion coefficient of miscible liquids

A common-path interferometer (CPI) system was developed to measure the diffusivity of transparent liquid pairs by real-time visualization of the concentration gradient profile. The CPI is an optical technique that can be used to measure changes in the gradient of the refractive index of transparent materials. The CPI is a shearing interferometer that shares the same optical path from a laser light source to the final imaging plane. Molecular diffusivity of liquids can be determined by use of physical relations between changes in the optical path length and the liquid phase properties. The data obtained by this interferometer are compared with similar results from other techniques. This demonstrates that the instrument is reliable for measurement of the diffusivity of miscible liquids and allows the system to be compact and robust. It can also be useful for studies in interface dynamics as well as other applications in a low-gravity environment.

Analysis of heat and mass transfer during condensation over a porous substrate

Abstract:  Condensing heat exchangers are important in many space applications for thermal and humidity control systems. The International Space Station uses a cooled fin surface to condense moisture from humid air that is blown over it. The condensate and the air are “slurped” into a system that separates air and water by centrifugal forces. The use of a cooled porous substrate is an attractive alternative to the fin where condensation and liquid/gas separation can be achieved in a single step. We analyze the heat and mass transfer during condensation of moisture from flowing air over such a cooled, flat, porous substrate. A fully developed regime is investigated for coupled mass, momentum and energy transport in the gas phase, and momentum and energy transport in the condensate layer on the porous substrate and through the porous medium.

Experimental investigation into the impact of density wave oscillations on flow boiling system dynamic behavior and stability

In order to better understand and quantify the effect of instabilities in systems utilizing flow boiling heat transfer, the present study explores dynamic results for pressure drop, mass velocity, thermodynamic equilibrium quality, and heated wall temperature to ascertain and analyze the dominant modes in which they oscillate. Flow boiling experiments are conducted for a range of mass velocities with both subcooled and saturated inlet conditions in vertical upflow, vertical downflow, and horizontal flow orientations. High frequency pressure measurements are used to investigate the influence of individual flow loop components (flow boiling module, pump, pre-heater, condenser, etc.) on dynamic behavior of the fluid, with fast Fourier transforms of the same used to provide critical frequency domain information. Conclusions from this analysis are used to isolate instabilities present within the system due to physical interplay between thermodynamic and hydrodynamic effects. Parametric analysis is undertaken to better understand the conditions under which these instabilities form and their impact on system performance. Several prior stability maps are presented, with new stability maps provided to better address contextual trends discovered in the present study.

Vapor-Gas Bubble Evolution and Growth in Extremely Viscous Fluids Under Vacuum

Abstract Formation of vapor and gas bubbles and voids is normal and expected in flow processes involving extremely viscous fluids in normal gravity. Practical examples of extremely viscous fluids are epoxy-like filler materials before the epoxy fluids cure to their permanent form to create a mechanical bond between two substrates. When these fluids flow with a free liquid interface exposed to vacuum, rapid bubble expansion process may ensue. Bubble expansion might compromise the mechanical bond strength. The potential sources for the origin of the gases might be incomplete out-gassing process prior to filler application; regasification due to seal leakage in the filler applicator; and/or volatiles evolved from cure reaction products formed in the hardening process. We embarked on a study that involved conducting laboratory experiments with imaging diagnostics in order to deduce the seriousness of bubbling caused by entrained air and volatile fluids under space vacuum and low gravity environment. We used clear fluids with the similar physical properties as the epoxy-like filler material to mimic the dynamics of bubbles. Another aspect of the present study was to determine the likelihood of bubbling resulting from dissolved gases nucleating from solution. These experimental studies of the bubble expansion are compared with predictions using a modified Rayleigh-Plesset equation, which models the bubble expansion.

Conceptual Design of a Condensing Heat Exchanger for Space Systems Using Porous Media

ABSTRACT Condensing heat exchangers are used in many space applications in the thermal and humidity control systems. In the International Space Station (ISS), humidity control is achieved by using a water cooled fin surface over which the moist air condenses, followed by “slurper bars” that take in both the condensate and air into a rotary separator and separates the water from air. The use of a cooled porous substrate as the condensing surface provides an attractive alternative that combines both heat removal as well as liquid/gas separation into a single unit. By selecting the pore sizes of the porous substrate a gravity independent operation may also be possible with this concept. Condensation of vapor into and on the porous surface from the flowing air and the removal of condensate from the porous substrate are the critical processes involved in the proposed concept. This paper describes some preliminary results of the proposed condensate withdrawal process and discusses the on-going design and development work of a porous media based condensing heat exchanger at the NASA Glenn Research Center in collaboration with NASA Johnson Space Center.

Unusual Optical Techniques in Diffusivity Measurements

In studying hydrodynamic instabilities between two miscible fluid mixtures one often faces the problem of assigning a reliable value to diffusion coefficients. As for diffusion between two binary mixtures such as water and glycerin, water and salt, etc., no complete data are available in the literature. This shortage of data justifies the search for simple and accurate experimental techniques. Optical techniques are now recognized as powerful tools to investigate fluid flow phenomena in transparent media. In particular, in this paper we discuss three different, recently proposed, optical techniques for diffusivity measurements, namely speckle decorrelation, common path shearing interferometry and digital moire. Although all these techniques depend on variation of the index of refraction in a transparent fluid, each method involves the use of specific instrumentation, with experimental uncertainties and ranges of applicability which differ from case to case. A comparison of the techniques is presented as well as a discussion of their possible integration.Copyright

Experimental investigation of frequency and amplitude of density wave oscillations in vertical upflow boiling

Historically, study of two-phase flow instabilities has been arguably one of the most challenging endeavors in heat transfer literature due to the wide range of instabilities systems can manifest depending on differences in operating conditions and flow geometry. This study utilizes experimental results for vertical upflow boiling of FC-72 in a rectangular channel with finite inlet quality to investigate Density Wave Oscillations (DWOs) and assess their potential impact on design of two-phase systems for future space missions. High-speed flow visualization image sequences are presented and used to directly relate the cyclical passage of High and Low Density Fronts (HDFs and LDFs) to dominant low-frequency oscillations present in transient pressure signals commonly attributed to DWOs. A methodology is presented to determine frequency and amplitude of DWO induced pressure oscillations, which are then plotted for a wide range of relevant operating conditions. Mass velocity (flow inertia) is seen to be the dominant parameter influencing frequency and amplitude of DWOs. Amplitude of pressure oscillations is at most 7% of the time-averaged pressure level for current operating conditions, meaning there is little risk to space missions. Reconstruction of experimental pressure signals using a waveform defined by frequency and amplitude of DWO induced pressure fluctuations is seen to have only moderate agreement with the original signal due to the oversimplifications of treating DWO induced fluctuations as perfectly sinusoidal in nature, assuming they occur at a constant frequency value, and neglecting other transient flow features. This approach is nonetheless determined to have potential value for use as a boundary condition to introduce DWOs in two-phase flow simulations should a model be capable of accurately predicting frequency and amplitude of oscillation.

Analysis of the Pressure Rise in a Partially Filled Liquid Tank in Microgravity with Low Wall Heat Flux and Simultaneous Boiling and Condensation

Experiments performed with Freon 113 in the space shuttle have shown that in a pro- cess of very slow heating, high liquid superheats can be sustained for a long period in microgravity. In a closed system explosive vaporization of superheated liquid resulted in pressure spikes of varying magnitudes. In this paper, we analyze the pressure rise in a partially lled closed tank in which a large vapor bubble (i.e., ullage) is initially present, and the liquid is subjected to a low wall heat ux. The liquid layer adjacent to the wall becomes superheated until the temperature for nucleation of the bubbles (or the incipience of boiling) is achieved. In the absence of the gravity-induced convection large quantities of superheated liquid can accumulate over time near the heated surface. Once the incipience temperature is attained, explosive boiling occurs and the vapor bubbles that are produced on the heater surface tend to quickly raise the tank pressure. The liquid-vapor saturation temperature increases as well. These two e ects tend to induce condensation of the large ullage bubble that is initially present, and tends to mitigate the tank pressure rise. As a result, the tank pressure is predicted to rise sharply, attain a maximum, and subsequently decay slowly. The predicted pressure rise is compared with experimental results obtained in the microgravity environments of the space shuttle for Freon 113. The analysis is appli- cable, in general to heating of liquid in closed containers in microgravity and to cryogenic fuel tanks, in particular where small heat leaks into the tank are unavoidable.

Flow condensation pressure oscillations at different orientations

Investigation of two-phase flow dynamic behavior and instabilities has traditionally centered on phenomena present in boiling flows due to the safety critical nature of boiling in a variety of cooling applications. Analysis of pressure signals in condensing systems reveal the presence of relevant oscillatory phenomena during flow condensation as well, which may impact performance in applications concerned with precise system control. Towards this end, the present study presents results for oscillatory behavior observed in pressure measurements during flow condensation of FC-72 in a smooth circular tube in vertical upflow, vertical downflow, and horizontal flow orientations. Dynamic behavior observed within the test section is determined to be independent of other components within the flow loop, allowing it to be isolated and interpreted as resulting from physical aspects of two-phase flow with condensation. The presence of a peak oscillatory mode (one of significantly larger amplitude than any others present) is seen for 72% of vertical upflow test cases, 61% of vertical downflow, and 54% of horizontal flow. Relative intensities of this peak oscillatory mode are evaluated through calculation of Q Factor for the corresponding frequency response peak. Frequency and amplitude of peak oscillatory modes are also evaluated. Overall, vertical upflow is seen to exhibit the most significant oscillatory behavior, although in its maximum case amplitude is only seen to be 7.9% of time-averaged module inlet pressure, indicating there is little safety risk posed by oscillations under current operating conditions. Flow visualization image sequences for each orientation are also presented and used to draw parallels between physical characteristics of condensate film behavior under different operating conditions and trends in oscillatory behavior detected in pressure signals.