Mechanical and thermal structure of a cylindrical plume in the earth's mantle

A mantle plume is understood as a hot, narrow, upwelling flow in the earth's mantle and accompanied by an efficient transfer of mass and energy from deep to upper layer of the earth. The cylindrical plume in earth's mantle plays an important role in explaining the origin of the surface hot spots and linear island chains. From the basic hydrodynamical equations, the detailed mechanical and thermal structure of a cylindrical plume of Newtouian fluids with temperature and pressure-dependent viscosity are given in the present paper. For two sets of rheological parameters the radial profiles of upward velocity, temperature and viscosity in the plume and radiuses of the plume at various depths have been calculated.

Nonequilibrium statistical mechanics of one-dimensional turbulence

The method of statistical mechanics is applied to the study of the one-dimensional model of turbulence proposed in an earlier paper. The closure problem is solved by the variational approach which has been developed for the three-dimensional case, yielding two integral equations for two unknown functions. By solving the two integral equations, the Kolmogorov k−5/3 law is derived and the (one-dimensional) Kolmogorov constant Ko is evaluated, obtaining Ko=0.55, which is in good agreement with the result of numerical experiments on one-dimensional turbulence.

Nonequilibrium statistical mechanics of two-dimensional turbulence

The vorticity dynamics of two-dimensional turbulence are investigated analytically, applying the method of Qian (1983). The vorticity equation and its Fourier transform are presented; a set of modal parameters and a modal dynamic equation are derived; and the corresponding Liouville equation for the probability distribution in phase space is solved using a Langevin/Fokker-Planck approach to obtain integral equations for the enstrophy and for the dynamic damping coefficient eta. The equilibrium spectrum for inviscid flow is found to be a stationary solution of the enstrophy equation, and the inertial-range spectrum is determined by introducing a localization factor in the two integral equations and evaluating the localized versions numerically.

Universal equilibrium range of turbulence

An attempt is made to determine the form of F(x), the dimensionless function of universal nature which occurs in the energy spectrum for the universal equilibrium range of fully developed turbulence, by the method of statistical mechanics without introducing any parameter of semiempirical nature. Then, the validity of the variational approach to the closure problem of turbulence theory is tested by applying it to the study of the universal equilbrium range of turbulence.

Numerical experiments on one-dimensional model of turbulence

The initial-value problem of a forced Burgers equation is numerically solved by the Fourier expansion method. It is found that its solutions finally reach a steady state of 'laminar flow' which has no randomness and is stable to disturbances. Hence, strictly speaking, the so-called Burgers turbulence is not a turbulence. A new one-dimensional model is proposed to simulate the Navier-Stokes turbulence. A series of numerical experiments on this one-dimensional turbulence is made and is successful in obtaining Kolmogorov's (1941) k exp(-5/3) inertial-range spectrum. The (one-dimensional) Kolmogorov constant ranges from 0.5 to 0.65.

The interaction of two pairs of solitary waves in a two-fluid system

This paper deals with the interaction of solitary waves in a two-fluid system which consistsof two superimposed incompressible inviscid fluids with a free surface and a horizontal rigidbottom. Under the assumption of shallow water wave, we first derive the basic equationssuitable for the model considered, a generalized form of the Boussinesq equations, then usingthe PLK method and the reductive perturbation method, obtain the second-order approximatesolution for the head-on collision between two pairs of interface and surface solitary waves,and give their maximum amplitudes during the collision and the nonuniform phase shiftsafter the collision which lead to the distortion of the wave profiles.

Variational approach to the closure problem of turbulence theory

A new method is proposed to solve the closure problem of turbulence theory and to drive the Kolmogorov law in an Eulerian framework. Instead of using complex Fourier components of velocity field as modal parameters, a complete set of independent real parameters and dynamic equations are worked out to describe the dynamic states of a turbulence. Classical statistical mechanics is used to study the statistical behavior of the turbulence. An approximate stationary solution of the Liouville equation is obtained by a perturbation method based on a Langevin-Fokker-Planck (LFP) model. The dynamic damping coefficient eta of the LFP model is treated as an optimum control parameter to minimize the error of the perturbation solution; this leads to a convergent integral equation for eta to replace the divergent response equation of Kraichnan's direct-interaction (DI) approximation, thereby solving the closure problem without appealing to a Lagrangian formulation. The Kolmogorov constant Ko is evaluated numerically, obtaining Ko = 1.2, which is compatible with the experimental data given by Gibson and Schwartz, (1963).

Non-linear theory of a positive-column in a magnetic-field

A nonlinear theory of an intermediate pressure discharge column in a magnetic field is presented. Motion of the neutral gas is considered. The continuity and momentum transfer equations for charged particles and neutral particles are solved by numerical methods. The main result obtained is that the rotating velocities of ionic gas and neutral gas are approximately equal. Bohm's criterion and potential inversion in the presence of neutral gas motion are also discussed.

适宜海水钻井液体系新前置液实验和现场试验

前置液是影响固井质量的重要因素之一,对于海水钻井液体系,如何选用前置液是一个新的课题.提出了一种适宜于海水钻井液体系的新型前置液,对其在固井过程中的各种性能进行了室内实验研究,结果表明:新型前置液与海水钻井液、固井水泥浆及盐水等环境流体有良好的相容性,对井壁具有稳定作用,其中的固体颗粒及表面活性剂有利于冲刷海水钻井液形成的泥饼.在此基础上,将新型前置液应用于胜利油田的固井作业,进行现场试验,发现:应用新型前置液后,环空水泥浆界面清晰,混浆段长度缩短,第2界面的胶结质量有明显提高.

Transport Phenomena in Ammonothermal Growth of Gallium Nitride

GaN can be used to fabricate blue/green/UV LEDs and high temperature, high power electronic devices. Ideal substrates are needed for high quality III-nitride epitaxy, which is an essential step for the manufacture of LEDs. GaN substrates are ideal to be lattice matched and isomorphic to nitride-based films. Bulk single crystals of GaN can be grown from supercritical fluids using the ammonothermal method, which utilizes ammonia as fluid rather than water as in the hydrothermal process. In this process, a mineralizer such as amide, imide or azide is used to attack a bulk nitride feedstock at temperatures from 200 - 500癈 and pressures from 1 - 4 kbar. Baffle design is essential for successful growth of GaN crystals. Baffle is used to separate the dissolving zone from the growth zone, and to maintain a temperature difference between the two zones. For solubility curve with a positive coefficient with respect to temperature, the growth zone is maintained at a lower temperature than that in the dissolving zone, thus the nutrient becomes supersaturated in the growth zone. The baffle opening is used to control the mixing of nutrients in the two zones, thus the transfer of nutrient from the lower part to the upper part. Ammonothermal systems have been modeled here using fluid dynamics, thermodynamics and heat transfer models. The nutrient is considered as a porous media bed and the flow is simulated using the Darcy-Brinkman-Forchheimer model. The resulting governing equations are solved using the finite volume method. We investigated the effects of baffle opening and position on the transport phenomena of nutrient from dissolving zone to the growth zone. Simulation data have been compared qualitatively with experimental data.

Single curved fiber sedimentation under gravity

Dynamics of single curved fiber sedimentation under gravity are simulated by using the lattice Boltzmann method. The results of migration and rotation of the curved fiber at different Reynolds numbers are reported. The results show that the rotation and migration processes are sensitive to the curvature of the fiber. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Two bifurcation processes for onset of oscillatory thermocapillary convection in a floating half zone

An overview on the onset of thermocapillary oscillatory convection in a floating half zone is provided, and it is a typical subject in the microgravity sciences related to the space materials science, especially the floating zone processing, and also to the microgravity fluid physics. The main interests are focused around the process for onset of oscillatory thermocapillary convection, which is known also as the bifurcation transition from quasi-steady convection to oscillatory convection. The onset of oscillation depends on a set of critical parameters, such as the Marangoni number, Prandtl number, geometrical parameters, and heat transfer parameters. Recent studies show that, there exists the bifurcation transition from steady and axial symmetric convection to the steady and axial non-symmetric convection before the onset of oscillation in cases of small Prandtl number fluids and in cases of larger Prandtl number fluids of fat liquid bridge with small aspect ratio. The transition process is a strong non-linear process because the velocity deviation has the same order of magnitude as that of an average flow after the onset of oscillation, and unsteady 3-D numerical simulation is suitable to do in depth analysis on strong non-linear process, and leads generally to a better comparison with the experimental results.

Microfluidic Rheometry

The development and growth of microfluidics has stimulated interest in the behaviour of complex liquids in micro-scale geometries and provided a rich platform for rheometric investigations of non-Newtonian phenomena at small scales. Microfluidic techniques present the rheologist with new opportunities for material property measurement and this review discusses the use of microfluidic devices to measure bulk rheology in both shear and extensional flows. Capillary, stagnation and contraction flows are presented in this context and developments, limitations and future perspectives are examined. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.