EAGER: Test of Concept for Induced Fuel-Coolant Interaction Experiments with Bubbly Melt

探索性研究早期概念补助金（EaGER）解决了2022年1月15日Hunga Tonga火山爆发期间发生的新观察到的现象。 虽然蒸汽岩浆喷发往往是不可预测的，但洪加汤加火山的极高喷发柱在地球仪周围的大气中产生了压力脉冲，导致科学家估计释放的能量相当于几十万吨TNT。初步研究结果表明，岩浆的某些特性可能在使这座火山如此爆炸方面发挥了关键作用。研究人员将尝试进行比以前更大规模的实验室实验，以测试以下假设：囊泡网络，气泡的存在，在诱导燃料冷却剂相互作用期间提高了从岩浆到水的传热速率，导致了观察到的高度爆炸性系统膨胀。就更广泛的影响而言，成功的结果将有助于我们理解岩浆和水之间的相互作用如何导致爆炸事件，并限制缩放对我们模型的影响。支持还将有助于加强研究和教育的基础设施，同时为学生提供培训。研究人员建议通过进行米级的诱导燃料冷却剂相互作用实验，研究气泡网络对岩浆-水相互作用爆炸性的可能影响，其中涉及约30升熔体。这将是这种机制类型在大于实验室规模上的首次实现，这允许更多的材料复杂性，并有助于将实验室发现扩展到现场规模。有人建议，在2022年1月的Hunga Tonga火山爆发，囊泡网络，气泡的存在下，在诱导燃料冷却剂相互作用，导致高爆炸性的系统膨胀，提高了从岩浆到水的热传递速率。研究人员将调整他们目前的实验装置，这些装置已被证明在以前的岩浆-水相互作用测试中有效，以提供将实验室和米级观测扩展到自然尺度的方法。如果成功的话，他们希望回答气泡是否可以作为相互作用强度的助推器。这个奖项反映了NSF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。

This Early-Concept Grant for Exploratory Research (EaGER) addresses a newly observed phenomenon that occurred during the January 15, 2022 eruption of the Hunga Tonga volcano. Although phreatomagmatic eruptions tend to be unpredictable, the very high eruption column of Hunga Tonga created a pressure pulse in the atmosphere that was measured around the globe, leading scientists to estimate that the energy released was equivalent to several 10 megatons of TNT. Initial findings show that some properties of the magma may have played a critical role in making this volcano so explosive. The investigators will attempt to conduct laboratory experiments in larger scales than before to test the hypothesis that the presence of vesicle networks, bubbles, enhanced the rate of heat transfer from magma to water during induced fuel coolant interaction, caused the highly explosive system expansion observed. In terms of broader impacts, successful results would help our understanding of how interactions between magma and water can lead to explosive events and constrain the effects of scaling on our models for this phenomenon. Support will also help enhance infrastructure for research and education, while providing training for a student.The investigators propose to study the possible influence of bubble networks on the explosivity of magma-water interaction, by conducting induced fuel coolant interaction experiments on a meter-scale, which involves about 30 Liters of melt. This will be the first realization of this mechanism type on a larger than lab scale, which allows for more material complexities and helps to scale laboratory findings to field scale. It is suggested that that in the Hunga Tonga volcanic eruption of January 2022, the presence of vesicle networks, bubbles, enhanced the rate of heat transfer from magma to water during induced fuel coolant interaction that caused the highly explosive system expansion. The investigators will adapt their current experimental setup that have proven to work in previous magma-water interaction tests to provide means to scale lab- and meter-scale observations to natural scale scenarios. If successful, they hope to answer whether bubbles can serve as a booster to interaction intensity.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.