Surfactant-induced retardation of the thermocapillary migration of a droplet

1997 ◽  
Vol 340 ◽  
pp. 35-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
JINNAN CHEN ◽  
KATHLEEN J. STEBE

A neutrally buoyant droplet in a fluid possessing a temperature gradient migrates under the action of thermocapillarity. The drop pole in the high-temperature region has a reduced surface tension. The surface pulls away from this low-tension region, establishing a Marangoni stress which propels the droplet into the warmer fluid. Thermocapillary migration is retarded by the adsorption of surfactant: surfactant is swept to the trailing pole by surface convection, establishing a surfactant-induced Marangoni stress resisting the flow (Barton & Subramanian 1990).The impact of surfactant adsorption on drop thermocapillary motion is studied for two nonlinear adsorption frameworks in the sorption-controlled limit. The Langmuir adsorption framework accounts for the maximum surface concentration Γ′∞ that can be attained for monolayer adsorption; the Frumkin adsorption framework accounts for Γ′∞ and for non-ideal surfactant interactions. The compositional dependence of the surface tension alters both the thermocapillary stress which drives the flow and the surfactant-induced Marangoni stress which retards it. The competition between these stresses determines the terminal velocity U′, which is given by Young's velocity U′0 in the absence of surfactant adsorption. In the regime where adsorption–desorption and surface convection are of the same order, U′ initially decreases with surfactant concentration for the Langmuir model. A minimum is then attained, and U′ subsequently increases slightly with bulk concentration, but remains significantly less than U′0. For cohesive interactions in the Frumkin model, U′ decreases monotonically with surfactant concentration, asymptoting to a value less than the Langmuir velocity. For repulsive interactions, U′ is non-monotonic, initially decreasing with concentration, subsequently increasing for elevated concentrations. The implications of these results for using surfactants to control surface mobilities in thermocapillary migration are discussed.

2018 ◽  
Vol 849 ◽  
pp. 277-311 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antarip Poddar ◽  
Shubhadeep Mandal ◽  
Aditya Bandopadhyay ◽  
Suman Chakraborty

The sedimentation of a surfactant-laden deformable viscous drop acted upon by an electric field is considered theoretically. The convection of surfactants in conjunction with the combined effect of electrohydrodynamic flow and sedimentation leads to a locally varying surface tension, which subsequently alters the drop dynamics via the interplay of Marangoni, Maxwell and hydrodynamic stresses. Assuming small capillary number and small electric Reynolds number, we employ a regular perturbation technique to solve the coupled system of governing equations. It is shown that when a leaky dielectric drop is sedimenting in another leaky dielectric fluid, the Marangoni stress can oppose the electrohydrodynamic motion severely, thereby causing corresponding changes in the internal flow pattern. Such effects further result in retardation of the drop settling velocity, which would have otherwise increased due to the influence of charge convection. For non-spherical drop shapes, the effect of Marangoni stress is overcome by the ‘tip-stretching’ effect on the flow field. As a result, the drop deformation gets intensified with an increase in sensitivity of the surface tension to the local surfactant concentration. Consequently, for an oblate type of deformation the elevated drag force causes a further reduction in velocity. For similar reasons, prolate drops experience less drag and settle faster than the surfactant-free case. In addition to this, with increased sensitivity of the interfacial tension to the surfactant concentration, the asymmetric deformation about the equator gets suppressed. These findings may turn out to be of fundamental significance towards designing electrohydrodynamically actuated droplet-based microfluidic systems that are intrinsically tunable by varying the surfactant concentration.


Langmuir ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 37 (7) ◽  
pp. 2237-2255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mengsu Peng ◽  
Timothy T. Duignan ◽  
Cuong V. Nguyen ◽  
Anh V. Nguyen

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
David J. Peterman ◽  
Kathleen A. Ritterbush ◽  
Charles N. Ciampaglio ◽  
Erynn H. Johnson ◽  
Shinya Inoue ◽  
...  

AbstractThe internal architecture of chambered ammonoid conchs profoundly increased in complexity through geologic time, but the adaptive value of these structures is disputed. Specifically, these cephalopods developed fractal-like folds along the edges of their internal divider walls (septa). Traditionally, functional explanations for septal complexity have largely focused on biomechanical stress resistance. However, the impact of these structures on buoyancy manipulation deserves fresh scrutiny. We propose increased septal complexity conveyed comparable shifts in fluid retention capacity within each chamber. We test this interpretation by measuring the liquid retained by septa, and within entire chambers, in several 3D-printed cephalopod shell archetypes, treated with (and without) biomimetic hydrophilic coatings. Results show that surface tension regulates water retention capacity in the chambers, which positively scales with septal complexity and membrane capillarity, and negatively scales with size. A greater capacity for liquid retention in ammonoids may have improved buoyancy regulation, or compensated for mass changes during life. Increased liquid retention in our experiments demonstrate an increase in areas of greater surface tension potential, supporting improved chamber refilling. These findings support interpretations that ammonoids with complex sutures may have had more active buoyancy regulation compared to other groups of ectocochleate cephalopods. Overall, the relationship between septal complexity and liquid retention capacity through surface tension presents a robust yet simple functional explanation for the mechanisms driving this global biotic pattern.


ACS Omega ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 2248-2254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dirk J. Groenendijk ◽  
Johannes N. M. van Wunnik

2003 ◽  
Vol 474 ◽  
pp. 275-298 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. D. HOWELL ◽  
C. J. W. BREWARD

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 over flowing 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 et al. (2001) 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.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dawn Friesen ◽  
Brian Seymour ◽  
Aaron Sanders

Abstract Viscoelastic surfactant (VES)-based fracturing fluids can reduce the risk of formation damage when compared with conventional polymer-based fracturing systems. However, many VES systems lose viscoelasticity rapidly under high-temperature conditions, leading to high fluid leakoff and problems in proppant placement. A gemini cationic VES-based system offering thermal stability above 250°F and its efficiency in friction reduction is presented in this paper. Rheology measurements were conducted on viscoelastic cationic gemini surfactant fluids as a function of temperature (70 – 300°F) and surfactant concentration. The length of surfactant alkyl chain was varied to investigate the impact of surfactant chain length on VES fluid viscosity at elevated temperatures. The effect of flow rate on friction reduction capability of the surfactant fluid was measured on a friction flow loop. Foam rheology measurements were conducted to evaluate the VES fluid's ability to maintain high temperature viscosity with reduced surfactant concentration. A gemini cationic surfactant was used to prepare a viscoelastic surfactant system that could maintain viscosity over 50 cP at a shear rate of 100 s−1up to at least 250°F. With this system, viscoelastic gel viscosity was maintained without degradation for over 18 hours at 250°F, and the fluid showed rapid shear recovery throughout. Decreasing the average alkyl chain length on the surfactant reduced the maximum working temperature of the resulting viscoelastic gel and showed the critical influence of surfactant structure on the resulting fluid performance. The presence of elongated, worm-like micelles in the fluid provided polymer-like friction reduction even at low surfactant concentrations, with friction reduction of over 70% observed during pumping (relative to fresh water) up to a critical Reynolds number. Energized fluids could also be formulated with the gemini surfactant to give foam fluids suitable for hydraulic fracturing or wellbore cleanouts. The resulting viscoelastic surfactant foams had viscosities over 50 cP up to at least 300°F with both nitrogen and carbon dioxide as the gas phase. The information presented in this paper is important for various field applications where thermal stability of the treatment fluid is essential. This will hopefully expand the use of VES-based systems as an alternative to conventional polymer systems in oilfield applications where a less damaging viscosified fluid system is required.


2013 ◽  
Vol 690-693 ◽  
pp. 2076-2080
Author(s):  
Zhen Zhong Fan ◽  
Lan Lan Li ◽  
Li Feng Zhang ◽  
Qing Wang Liu

Cationic Gemini surfactant concentration, the inorganic salts added and the pH value of surface tension obtained cationic gemini surfactant critical micelle concentration is 0.4mmol / L;by adding three kinds of inorganic salts NaCl, MgCl2, and Na2SO4 ,which Na2SO4 has the greatest impact on surface tension, followed by MgCl2.The surface minimum tension of the pH ranged from 9 to 11 , indicating that the surface activity of cationic gemini surfactants achieved the highest.


Author(s):  
Yuelin Wang ◽  
Huahai Zhang ◽  
Tiefeng Wang

A bubble coalescence model for a solution with a nonionic surfactant and with a small bubble approach velocity was developed, in which the mechanism of how coalescence is hindered by Marangoni stress was quantitatively analyzed. The bubble coalescence time calculated for ethanol-water and MIBC-water systems were in good agreement with experimental data. At low surfactant concentrations, the Marangoni stress and bubble coalescence time increased with bulk concentration increase. Conversely, in the high concentration range, the Marangoni stress and coalescence time decreased with bulk concentration. Numerical results showed that the nonlinear relationship between coalescence time and surfactant concentration is determined by the mass transport flux between the film and its interface, which tends to diminish the spatial concentration variation of the interface, i.e., it acts as a “damper”. This damping effect increases with increased surfactant concentration, therefore decreasing the coalescence time at high concentrations.


1993 ◽  
Vol 66 (4) ◽  
pp. 664-677 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Rajalingam ◽  
J. Sharpe ◽  
W. E. Baker

Abstract Thermoplastic composites containing different Ground Rubber Tire (GRT) materials, Linear Low Density Polyethylene (LLDPE) and, in some case, a coupling agent (IB‘E’, an ethylene glycidyl methacrylate copolymer) were prepared by melt blending. The impact energies of all the thermoplastic composites (normally containing 40 wt % GRT) were evaluated using an instrumented impact tester. The effects of the GRT particle-size, particle size distribution and shape, the mode of grinding, and the oxygen surface concentration were analyzed. The wet-ambient-ground GRT based composites show higher surface oxidation and give better impact energy than cryo-ground and normal air-ground GRT based composites. Smaller GRT particle size results in a small increase in the impact property of the composite and a greater influence on the melt processability of the composites. Of the different GRT surface modification techniques studied for improved composite interfacial adhesion and impact properties the composites from electron beam radiation treated GRT yield higher increases in impact energy in comparison to corona and plasma treated GRT based composites.


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