Self organization of heat cycles by capillary convection for extraction of water from a binary solution
A problem of mass-transfer induced in multiphase liquid systems by thermo-capillary convection is considered as a new method for extraction of water from a binary mixture by solar light. The basis of consideration is a way to attract opaque drops in transparent liquids with velocities up to about 10 cm/sec due to thermocapillary convection that has been found by using of continuous wave argon laser light in experiments on mass-transfer in absorbing liquids. Such a high velocity of propulsion was called light-channeled phoresis. Motive forces for propulsion of a drop are explained by the self-organization of a heat cycle. This process occurs between illuminated and dark parts of any opaque drop (disperse phase) involved in mass-transfer in a transparent liquid (disperse medium) owing to separating surface of the phase discontinuity. The fluid surface is considered to be a work substance in a heat cycle to transform chaotic thermal energy of liquid into its more ordered (synergetic) hydrodynamic form of motion. The non-equilibrium Gibbs' surface is considered as both a source of motive forces to put a liquid droplet in motion and a necessary element to satisfy the law of momentum conservation in dynamic boundary conditions for solving hydrodynamic problem. The dissipative motion of a droplet under external gravitation and the motive motion under internal thermal energy powered by light has been compared. It is shown that being powered by light, the self-organization of heat cycles generates the vortexes in liquids with much higher density of kinetic energy then in case of droplet's motion with the same velocity in external gravitation field. In order to demonstrate a new possibility of optical liquid extraction owing to motive forces induced by light, butylcillusolve with water was chosen as a model mixture in laser experiments. As a absorbing pollution, a dye Rodamin 6G was used. Such solution has a lower point of phase transition, when the initial homogeneous liquid becomes two-phase system by heating up to about only 42 C. As far as light is able to heat the mixture up to this point, the extraction of water is observed as flow of water propelled by motive forces in center of illuminated zone. The analysis of the experimental and calculated data leads to the conclusion regarding the rule as to which of the phases in stratifying solutions should be extracted by light. In a system with the lower critical point the component of disperse phase will be collected by light at the maximum of its intensity; on the contrary, if a system has a upper critical point, the component of the disperse medium is extracted by light. The experimental results obtained in model laser experiments are discussed as a prerequisite to apply solar light to power supply of the new engineering constructions, for example in space, for liquid extraction based on motive forces by self-organization of heat cycles.
- Research Organization:
- General Physics Inst., Moscow (RU)
- OSTI ID:
- 20002760
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 33rd Intersociety Energy Conversion Engineering Conference, Colorado Springs, CO (US), 08/02/1998--08/06/1998; Other Information: 1 CD-ROM. Operating system required: Windows 3.x; Windows 95/NT; Macintosh; UNIX. All systems need 2X CD-ROM drive.; PBD: 1998; Related Information: In: Proceedings of the 33. intersociety energy conversion engineering conference, by Anghaie, S. [ed.], [2800] pages.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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