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Article
Publication date: 8 June 2012

Tony W.H. Sheu, S.H. Kuo and R.K. Lin

A convection‐diffusion‐reaction scheme is proposed in this study to simulate the high gradient electroosmotic flow behavior in microchannels. The equations governing the total…

Abstract

Purpose

A convection‐diffusion‐reaction scheme is proposed in this study to simulate the high gradient electroosmotic flow behavior in microchannels. The equations governing the total electric field include the Laplace equation for the effective electrical potential and the Poisson‐Boltzmann equation for the electrical potential in the electric double layer.

Design/methodology/approach

Mixed electroosmotic/pressure‐driven flow in a straight microchannel is studied with the emphasis on the Joule heat in the equations of motion. The nonlinear behaviors resulting from the hydrodynamic, thermal and electrical three‐field coupling and the temperature‐dependent fluid viscosity, thermal conductivity, electrical permittivity, and conductivity of the investigated buffer solution are analyzed.

Findings

The solutions computed from the employed flux discretization scheme for the hydrodynamic, thermal and electric field equations have been verified to have good agreement with the analytical solution. Parametric studies have been carried out by varying the electrical conductivity at the fixed zeta potential and varying the zeta potential at the fixed electrical conductivity.

Originality/value

Investigation is also addressed on the predicted velocity boundary layer and the electric double layer near the negatively charged channel wall.

Details

International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat & Fluid Flow, vol. 22 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0961-5539

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 December 2018

Zili Li, Chao Yang, Gan Cui, Shouxin Zhang and Chengbin Zhang

When hydrogen evolution reaction occurs on a metal surface, on the one hand, the generated hydrogen atom may penetrate into the metal that causes the hydrogen embrittlement…

Abstract

Purpose

When hydrogen evolution reaction occurs on a metal surface, on the one hand, the generated hydrogen atom may penetrate into the metal that causes the hydrogen embrittlement failure of materials; on the other hand, the hydrogen generation may increase the local pressure in the coating and cause coating blistering. The purpose of this study is to study the effect of NaCl concentration and pH on hydrogen evolution reaction of X60 steel.

Design/methodology/approach

A cathodic polarization curve 257E-2V vs OCP and EIS was obtained by conventional three-electrode system in different NaCl concentrations, 257E3.5 and pH. Second, various parameters such as hydrogen evolution, over-potential current–density polarization resistance and capacitance of double electric layer were obtained based on fitting of the experimental data. Finally, the reaction mechanism was determined by Tafel curves.

Findings

It was concluded that in different NaCl concentrations, diffusion layer induced by concentration polarization affects the diffusion process of H+ ions, which makes over-potential increase. Under great effect of concentration polarization, the reaction is different in acid and alkaline environments, and the dielectric layer shows the characteristic of meta-alkaline adsorption, which makes difference in mechanism.

Originality/value

This research not only has theoretical significance but also gains utilization prospect. Ultimately, this research could be applied to clear hydrogen evolution process and protect long-distance pipeline against delamination.

Details

Anti-Corrosion Methods and Materials, vol. 66 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0003-5599

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 June 2019

Hang Xu, Huang Huang, Xiao-Hang Xu and Qiang Sun

This paper aims to study the heat transfer of nanofluid flow driven by the move of channel walls in a microchannel under the effects of the electrical double layer and slippery…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to study the heat transfer of nanofluid flow driven by the move of channel walls in a microchannel under the effects of the electrical double layer and slippery properties of channel walls. The distributions of velocity, temperature and nanoparticle volumetric concentration are analyzed under different slip-length. Also, the variation rates of flow velocity, temperature, concentration of nanoparticle, the pressure constant, the local volumetric entropy generation rate and the total cross-sectional entropy generation are analyzed.

Design/methodology/approach

A recently developed model is chosen which is robust and reasonable from the point of view of physics, as it does not impose nonphysical boundary conditions, for instance, the zero electrical potential in the middle plane of the channel or the artificial pressure constant. The governing equations of flow motion, energy, electrical double layer and stream potential are derived with slip boundary condition presented. The model is non-dimensionalized and solved by using the homotopy analysis method.

Findings

Slip-length has significant influences on the velocity, temperature and nanoparticle volumetric concentration of the nanofluid. It also has strong effects on the pressure constant. With the increase of the slip-length, the pressure constant of the nanofluid in the horizontal microchannel decreases. Both the local volumetric entropy generation rate and total cross-sectional entropy generation rate are significantly affected by both the slip-length of the lower wall and the thermal diffusion. The local volumetric entropy generation rate at the upper wall is always higher than that around the lower wall. Also, the larger the slip-length is, the lower the total cross-sectional entropy generation rate is when the thermal diffusion is moderate.

Originality/value

The findings in this work on the heat transfer and flow phenomena of the nanofluid in microchannel are expected to make a contribution to guide the design of micro-electro-mechanical systems.

Details

International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat & Fluid Flow, vol. 29 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0961-5539

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 22 March 2011

Yogesha Subbaiah, Venkatakrishna Kaje and Ampar Chitharanjan Hegde

The purpose of this paper is to develop and optimize anti‐corrosive multi‐layered coatings of zinc‐nickel alloy on carbon steel.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop and optimize anti‐corrosive multi‐layered coatings of zinc‐nickel alloy on carbon steel.

Design/methodology/approach

A variety of composition‐modulated multi‐layer alloy (CMMA) coatings of zinc‐nickel were developed on a carbon steel substrate by cyclic changes in cathode current during electrodeposition, coupled with variation of the thicknesses of the individual layers. The corrosion behavior of the coatings was studied in 5 percent NaCl solution by electrochemical methods. Cyclic cathode current densities (CCCDs) and the number of alloy layers were optimized for highest performance of the coatings against corrosion. The factors responsible for improved corrosion resistance were analyzed in terms of change in the intrinsic electrical properties of the capacitance value at the electrical double layer that was associated with micro/nanometric layering. The formation of the semi‐conductive surface film, which was responsible for the improved corrosion resistance, was supported by a Mott‐Schottky plot and the cyclic polarization study. The formation of multi‐layered deposit and the mechanism of corrosion degradation of the coating were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy.

Findings

CMMA coatings with an optimal configuration of (Zn‐Ni)2.0/4.0/300 showed ∼35 times better corrosion resistance compared to a monolithic (Zn‐Ni)3.0 alloy coating of the same thickness. The peak performance was attributed to the change in intrinsic electrical properties of the coating and this conclusion was supported by dielectric spectroscopy.

Originality/value

The paper describes the optimization of CCCD and the number of deposited layers by development of electrolytic deposition of anti‐corrosive multi‐layered zinc‐nickel coatings from a single plating technique.

Details

Anti-Corrosion Methods and Materials, vol. 58 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0003-5599

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 August 2017

Zbigniew Magonski and Barbara Dziurdzia

The aim of this paper is to find the electrical representation of a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) that enables the application of typical exploitation characteristics of fuel cells…

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to find the electrical representation of a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) that enables the application of typical exploitation characteristics of fuel cells for estimation of fuel cell parameters (for example, exchange current) and easy analysis of phenomena occurred during the fuel cell operation.

Design/methodology/approach

Three-layer structure of an SOFC, where a thin semi-conducting layer of electrolyte separates the anode from the cathode, shows a strong similarity to typical semiconductor devices built on the basis of P-N junctions, like diodes or transistors. Current–voltage (I-V) characteristics of a fuel cell can be described by the same mathematical functions as I-V plots of semiconductor devices. On the basis of this similarity and analysis of impedance spectra of a real fuel cell, two electrical representations of the SOFC have been created.

Findings

The simplified electrical representation of SOFC consists of a voltage source connected in series with a diode, which symbolizes a voltage drop on a cell cathode, and two resistors. This model is based on the similarity of Butler-Volmer to Shockley equation. The advanced representation comprises a voltage source connected in series with a bipolar transistor in close to saturation mode and two resistors. The base-emitter junction of the transistor represents voltage drop on the cell cathode, and the base-collector junction represents voltage drop on the cell anode. This model is based on the similarity of Butler-Volmer equation to Ebers-Moll equation.

Originality/value

The proposed approach based on the Shockley and Ebers-Moll formulas enables the more accurate estimation of the ion exchange current and other fuel cell parameters than the approach based on the Butler-Volmer and Tafel formulas. The usability of semiconductor models for analysis of SOFC operation was proved. The models were successively applied in a new design of a planar ceramic fuel cell, which features by reduced thermal capacity, short start-up time and limited number of metal components and which has become the basis for the SOFC stack design.

Details

Microelectronics International, vol. 34 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1356-5362

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 10 July 2018

Zhen Yang, Yun Lin, Xingsheng Gu and Xiaoyi Liang

The purpose of this paper is to study the electrochemical properties of electrode material on activated carbon double layer capacitors. It also tries to develop a prediction model…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to study the electrochemical properties of electrode material on activated carbon double layer capacitors. It also tries to develop a prediction model to evaluate pore size value.

Design/methodology/approach

Back-propagation neural network (BPNN) prediction model is used to evaluate pore size value. Also, an improved heuristic approach genetic algorithm (HAGA) is used to search for the optimal relationship between process parameters and electrochemical properties.

Findings

A three-layer ANN is found to be optimum with the architecture of three and six neurons in the first and second hidden layer and one neuron in output layer. The simulation results show that the optimized design model based on HAGA can get the suitable process parameters.

Originality/value

HAGA BPNN is proved to be a practical and efficient way for acquiring information and providing optimal parameters about the activated carbon double layer capacitor electrode material.

Article
Publication date: 8 September 2012

Anna Arutunow

The purpose of this paper is to focus on diversification between electrical parameters determined on the basis of instantaneous impedance measurements within the activation and…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to focus on diversification between electrical parameters determined on the basis of instantaneous impedance measurements within the activation and reactivation scan of dissolution of sensitized AISI 304 stainless steel during a proceeding intergranular corrosion process.

Design/methodology/approach

The investigations were carried out by means of dynamic electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (DEIS). DEIS measurements were conducted “on‐line” while the samples were polarized in agreement with a measurement procedure presented in the ASTM G108‐94 standard, in order to guarantee conditions equivalent with the DL‐EPR tests performed on AISI 304 stainless steel.

Findings

Performed researches revealed the advantages of the DEIS technique over standard double‐loop electrochemical potentiokinetic reactivation (DL‐EPR) tests in the field of intergranular corrosion investigations. Application of the DEIS technique made it possible to trace instantaneous changes in the examined system's impedance versus potential during the intergranular corrosion process. The form of recorded DEIS spectra and obtained distribution of measurement frequencies within the reactivation potential range were equivalent to those obtained for pure iron dissolution in sulfuric acid medium. As a result, instantaneous changes of electrical double layer capacitance and charge transfer resistance as a function of potential have been obtained in the range of activation and reactivation scans.

Originality/value

The paper provides information regarding diversification between the electrical double layer capacitance and the charge transfer resistance determined for sensitized AISI 304 stainless steel with respect to polarization conditions during the standard DL‐EPR test, which were obtained in order to evaluate the susceptibility to intergranular corrosion.

Details

Anti-Corrosion Methods and Materials, vol. 59 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0003-5599

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 17 June 2019

Muhammad Raees Ul Haq, Hang Xu and Liang Zhao

The purpose of this study is to obtain the numerical as well as regularity results for the nonlinear elliptic set of equations arising in the study of fluid flow in microchannel…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to obtain the numerical as well as regularity results for the nonlinear elliptic set of equations arising in the study of fluid flow in microchannel induced by the pressure in the presence of interfacial electrokinetic effects.

Design/methodology/approach

For the numerical study, the authors implemented traditional FDM approach, and for the regularity results they used the classical energy estimates. The interfacial electrokinetic effects result in an additional source term in classical momentum equation, hence affecting the characteristics of the flow and heat transfer. The sinusoidal temperature variation is assumed on side walls.

Findings

The results were obtained for various combinations of physical parameters appearing in the governing equations. This study concludes that in the presence of electric double layer, the average heat transfer rate reduces along with larger values of Reynolds number. It is observed that the heat transfer increases with the increase in amplitude ratio and phase deviation. The flow behavior and heat transfer rate inside the microchannel are also strongly affected by the presence of κ (kappa).

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the problem of heat transfer through microchannel in combination with sinusoidal temperature variation at boundary with electric double layer effects has not been considered previously. Hence, this paper focuses on the influence of the sinusoidal boundary temperature distributions on both sidewalls of a rectangular microchannel through parallel plates with electrokinetic effects on the pressure-driven laminar flow. In addition, a detailed mathematical analysis is also to be carried out to verify the regularity of this model with the proposed boundary conditions. The study used the classical energy method to get the regularity results.

Details

International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat & Fluid Flow, vol. 29 no. 10
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0961-5539

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 30 December 2020

Qingkai Zhao, Hang Xu and Longbin Tao

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the immiscible two-layer heat fluid flows in the presence of the electric double layer (EDL) and magnetic field. The effects of EDL…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the immiscible two-layer heat fluid flows in the presence of the electric double layer (EDL) and magnetic field. The effects of EDL, magnetic field and the viscous dissipative term on fluid velocity and temperature, as well as the important physical quantities, are examined and discussed.

Design/methodology/approach

The upper and lower regions in a horizontal microchannel with one layer being filled with a nanofluid and the other with a viscous Newtonian fluid. The nanofluid flow in the lower layer is described by the Buongiorno’s nanofluid model with passively controlled model at the boundaries. An appropriate set of non-dimensional quantities are used to simplify the nonlinear systems. The resulting coupled nonlinear equations are solved by using homotopy analysis method.

Findings

The present work demonstrates that increasing the EDL thickness and Hartmann number can restrain the fluid flow. The Brinkmann number has a significant role in the enhancement of heat transfer. It is also identified that the influence of EDL effects on microflow cannot be ignored.

Originality/value

The effects of viscous dissipation involved in the heat transfer process and the body force because of the EDL and the magnetic field are considered in the thermal energy and momentum equations for both regions. The detailed derivation procedure of the analytical solution for electrostatic potential is provided. The analytical solutions can lead to improved understanding of the complex microfluidic systems.

Details

International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat & Fluid Flow, vol. 31 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0961-5539

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 July 2020

Ahamed Saleel C., Asif Afzal, Irfan Anjum Badruddin, T.M. Yunus Khan, Sarfaraz Kamangar, Mostafa Abdelmohimen, Manzoore Elahi M. Soudagar and H. Fayaz

The characteristics of fluid motions in micro-channel are strong fluid-wall surface interactions, high surface to volume ratio, extremely low Reynolds number laminar flow, surface…

Abstract

Purpose

The characteristics of fluid motions in micro-channel are strong fluid-wall surface interactions, high surface to volume ratio, extremely low Reynolds number laminar flow, surface roughness and wall surface or zeta potential. Due to zeta potential, an electrical double layer (EDL) is formed in the vicinity of the wall surface, namely, the stern layer (layer of immobile ions) and diffuse layer (layer of mobile ions). Hence, its competent designs demand more efficient micro-scale mixing mechanisms. This paper aims to therefore carry out numerical investigations of electro osmotic flow and mixing in a constricted microchannel by modifying the existing immersed boundary method.

Design/methodology/approach

The numerical solution of electro-osmotic flow is obtained by linking Navier–Stokes equation with Poisson and Nernst–Planck equation for electric field and transportation of ion, respectively. Fluids with different concentrations enter the microchannel and its mixing along its way is simulated by solving the governing equation specified for the concentration field. Both the electro-osmotic effects and channel constriction constitute a hybrid mixing technique, a combination of passive and active methods. In microchannels, the chief factors affecting the mixing efficiency were studied efficiently from results obtained numerically.

Findings

The results indicate that the mixing efficiency is influenced with a change in zeta potential (ζ), number of triangular obstacles, EDL thickness (λ). Mixing efficiency decreases with an increment in external electric field strength (Ex), Peclet number (Pe) and Reynolds number (Re). Mixing efficiency is increased from 28.2 to 50.2% with an increase in the number of triangular obstacles from 1 to 5. As the value of Re and Pe is decreased, the overall percentage increase in the mixing efficiency is 56.4% for the case of a mixing micro-channel constricted with five triangular obstacles. It is also vivid that as the EDL overlaps in the micro-channel, the mixing efficiency is 52.7% for the given zeta potential, Re and Pe values. The findings of this study may be useful in biomedical, biotechnological, drug delivery applications, cooling of microchips and deoxyribonucleic acid hybridization.

Originality/value

The process of mixing in microchannels is widely studied due to its application in various microfluidic devices like micro electromechanical systems and lab-on-a-chip devices. Hence, its competent designs demand more efficient micro-scale mixing mechanisms. The present study carries out numerical investigations by modifying the existing immersed boundary method, on pressure-driven electro osmotic flow and mixing in a constricted microchannel using the varied number of triangular obstacles by using a modified immersed boundary method. In microchannels, the theory of EDL combined with pressure-driven flow elucidates the electro-osmotic flow.

Details

International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat & Fluid Flow, vol. 31 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0961-5539

Keywords

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