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Steady spontaneous capillary flow in partially coated tubes
Author(s) -
Weislogel Mark M.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
aiche journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.958
H-Index - 167
eISSN - 1547-5905
pISSN - 0001-1541
DOI - 10.1002/aic.690430310
Subject(s) - capillary action , mechanics , flow (mathematics) , materials science , chemistry , chromatography , thermodynamics , composite material , physics
A spontaneous, steady capillary flow is produced for a liquid index in a circular tube that is partially coated with a surface modifier to create a discontinuous wetting condition between upstream and downstream portions of the tube. As a means of demonstrating that the flow configuration may prove useful as a diagnostic tool in studies concerning capillarity and the physics associated with the moving contact line, average steady velocities are predicted and compared against a large experimental data set that includes the effects of tube dimensions and fluid properties. To access a wider range of tube diameters (0.516–9.88 mm), experiments are performed employing “U‐tubes” tested in the low‐gravity environment of a drop tower, in addition to straight capillary tubes tested horizontally in a laboratory. The sensitivity of the steady capillary flow to surface cleanliness is dramatic.