Effects of Local Interfacial and Flow Dynamics on Foam Drainage and Coarsening

本项目将开发一个现实的模型，基于广泛的实验二维和三维泡沫，以描述液体泡沫的粗化和排水。只有正确理解这两种现象，才能实现泡沫的最佳工业应用。目前的理论是为不现实的静止和/或理想的干泡沫而发展的，忽略了粗化和排水以及局部动态效应的重要相互依赖性，如界面弹性、粘性耗散、表面活性剂输运、膜破裂、体泡运动/重排等。圣母大学（University of Notre Dame）的磁共振成像（MRI）设备为大型（200个气泡）3D泡沫领域提供了一种无创、高分辨率的成像技术。MRI将为排干/稳定泡沫粗化和润湿锋扩展实验提供完整的泡沫结构整体变化信息。流动的二维实验，双分散泡沫和单一肥皂膜的排水将捕获局部膜和顶点动力学。获得的数据将集成到一个动态泡沫模型中，该模型将用于关联MRI成像的3D粗化和润湿前沿动力学。参与该项目的研究生将接受物理和流体力学方面的培训，并将获得MRI的实践经验。由于MRI在医学、科学和工程领域的广泛应用，这项培训将为他们在学术界或工业界的一系列职业生涯做好准备。许多技术过程，如二次采油、污染地下水的控制、工业过滤、分离等，利用泡沫的稳定性和力学/运输特性，这些特性是泡沫空间模式的强大功能。因此，只有正确理解液体泡沫的纹理粗化和排水，才能实现最佳的工业应用，从而从根本上改变泡沫的空间格局。目前的理论，发展不切实际的静止和/或理想的干泡沫，忽略了这些现象的相互依存关系。这个项目的目的是建立一个现实的模型，基于广泛的二维和三维泡沫实验，捕捉局部薄膜对全局粗化和排水的动态影响。圣母大学的磁共振成像（MRI）设备为大范围的3D泡沫提供了一种非侵入性成像技术。在研究项目成功完成后，泡沫模型将通过主要研究人员的网站和圣母大学的研讨会/会议传播给科学界和化学/石油工业。参与该项目的研究生将接受物理和流体力学方面的培训，并将获得MRI的实践经验。由于MRI在医学、科学和工程领域的广泛应用，这项培训将为他们在学术界或工业界的一系列职业生涯做好准备。

This project will develop a realistic model, based on extensive experiments with 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional foams, to describe liquid foam coarsening and draining. Optimal industrial application of foam can only be achieved wen these two phenomena are properly understood. Current theories, developed for unrealistic motionless and/or ideal dry foams, omit the important interdependence of coarsening and drainage and local dynamic effects, like interfacial elasticity, viscous dissipation, surfactant transport, film rupture, bulk bubble motion/rearrangements, etc. The Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) facility at the University of Notre Dame offers a non-invasive, high-resolution imaging technique for large (200 bubbles) domain of 3D foam. MRI will provide complete information about global changes in foam structure in experiments on drained/stabilized foam coarsening and wetting front propagation. Experiments on flowing 2D, bi-disperse foam and drainage from a single soap film will capture local film and vertex dynamics. Acquired data will be integrated into a dynamic foam model that will be used to correlate 3D coarsening and wetting front dynamics imaged by MRI. Graduate students involved in the project will receive training in physics and fluid mechanics and will get hands-on experience with MRI. Due to MRI's broad medical, scientific and engineering applicability, this training will prepare them for a range of careers in academia or industry.%%%Many technological processes, like secondary oil recovery, control of polluted ground water, industrial filtration, separation, etc. exploit foam stability and mechanical/transport properties which are strong functions of foam spatial patterns. As a result, optima industrial application can only be achieved when texture coarsening and drainage of liquid foams, which fundamentally changes their spatial patterns, are properly understood. Current theories, developed for unrealistic motionless and/or ideal dry foams, omit the interdependence of these phenomena. The aim of this project is to develop a realistic model, based on extensive experiments with 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional foams, that captures local film dynamic effects on global coarsening and drainage. The Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) facility at the University of Notre Dame offers a non-invasive imagin technique sfor a large domain of 3D foams. Upon successful completion of the research project, the foam models will be disseminated to the scientific community and to the chemical/petroleum industry via the principal investigators websites and through a workshop/conference at the University of Notre Dame. Graduate students involved in the project will receive training in physics and fluid mechanics and will get hands-on experience with MRI. Due to MRI's broad medical, scientific and engineering applicability, this training will prepare them for a range of careers in academia or industry.