Collaborative Research: Ice Melting Induced by Flows in an Adjacent Immiscible Liquid Layer

冰因泄漏污染而恶化是一个复杂的过程，目前还没有得到很好的理解。本课题将研究对流流动和熔体层膜对接触加热油的冰壁融化动力学的影响。在北极地区的石油泄漏事件中，当石油层吸收来自太阳的热量或石油燃烧时来自火焰的热量时，就会遇到这种情况。热量的吸收将导致不同的融化模式，并在冰壁内雕刻出侧向空洞。在大范围内，这一过程可能导致浮冰块的结构和地质变化，从而以意想不到的方式影响北极生态系统。本研究项目将通过一系列实验，利用成像和跟踪方法来分析冰融化过程，以解决这一知识差距。项目研究人员还将为伍斯特理工学院的大三和大四学生以及圣母大学的一门新的研究生课程创造基于项目的学习机会。该研究项目调查了一种不混溶液体与冰相互作用的基础科学。以前关于海冰融化的研究考虑了诸如水中的盐度和自然对流等参数，以了解融化的流体动力学和传热方面。然而，由于油的特性对传热途径有很大的影响，油层的冰融化有很大的不同。例如，油层与水的不混相以及气相的存在会产生改变流体流动和传热动力学的界面力。在现有浮力流的基础上，通过界面力的作用，在液层中诱导对流，形成独特的流型，影响冰的融化。因此，需要科学地了解油层流体流动和传热途径，以预测油冰相互作用和融化速度。识别控制对流流动的机制将通过发光成像技术结合粒子跟踪测速的新应用来实现。这些实验方法将提供流体输运和温度的时空信息。从这项研究中获得的知识将是开发解决融化现象的数值模型的关键。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The deterioration of ice by spill contamination is a complex process that is not well understood. This research project will study the effects of convective flow and melt layer film on the melting dynamics of an ice wall in contact with a heated oil. Such situations would be encountered during an oil spill event in the Arctic regions when the oil layer absorbs heat from the Sun or from flames if the oil is burning. The heat absorption will cause different melt patterns and carve out lateral cavities inside the ice wall. At a large scale, this process can cause a shift in the structure and geology of floating ice blocks and thereby impact the Arctic ecosystem in unanticipated ways. This research project will address this knowledge gap through a series of experiments that use imaging and tracking methods to analyze the ice melting process. The project researchers will also create project-based learning opportunities for juniors and seniors at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute and a new graduate-level course at the University of Notre Dame.The research project investigates the fundamental science underlying the interaction of an immiscible liquid with ice. Previous studies on the melting of sea ice have considered parameters such as salinity and natural convection in the water to understand the fluid dynamics and heat transfer aspects of melting. However, ice melting by an oil layer is significantly different because of the characteristics of oil that influence the heat transfer pathways substantially. For example, the immiscibility of oil layer with water and presence of the gas-phase brings about interfacial forces that change the fluid flow and heat transfer dynamics. The induced convective patterns in the liquid layer by addition of interfacial forces to the existing buoyancy flows will cause unique flow patterns that impact the ice melting. Therefore, the scientific understanding of fluid flow and heat transfer pathways in the oil layer is required to predict oil-ice interaction and melting rates. Identification of the controlling mechanisms governing the convective flows will be achieved through the novel use of luminescence imaging techniques combined with particle tracking velocimetry. These experimental approaches will give spatiotemporal information on fluid transport and temperature. The knowledge obtained from this study will be pivotal in developing numerical models that address melting phenomena.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.