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Ultrasound‐modulated two‐fluid atomization of dilute polymer solutions
Author(s) -
Tsai Shirley C.,
Luu Patrick
Publication year - 2000
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.690460816
Subject(s) - viscoelasticity , newtonian fluid , polymer , aqueous solution , chemistry , thermodynamics , materials science , polymer chemistry , composite material , organic chemistry , physics
New findings presented can further our understanding of the atomization of dilute polymer solutions. First, contrary to the conventional view that viscoelastic liquids are more difficult to atomize than Newtonian liquids, it was found that aerodynamic conditions required to form uniform drops are less severe for some viscoelastic liquids than for Newtonian liquids. Under similar aerodynamic conditions, using ultrasound‐modulated two‐fluid atomization at 54 kHz, 40‐μm‐dia. uniform drops determined by the third harmonic frequency were obtained for gel‐forming xantham gum solutions, but not for Newtonian liquids. Second, ultrasonic atomization yielded 350–400‐μm‐dia. drops for aqueous solutions of rodlike polyethylene oxides (PEO) with molecular weights of 1‐2×10 5 at 54 kHz, supporting previous predictions that PEO relaxation times may be as short as 10 −4 s. Third, at smaller molecular weights (up to 2×10 4 ), aqueous solutions of PEO behave like Newtonian liquids in accordance with modified Taylor's dispersion relation.