Keywords

ultrasound, perfluorocarbon, nanoemulsion droplet, phase change, mathematical model. acoustic droplet vaporization

Abstract

While ultrasound has been used in many medical and industrial applications, only recently has research been done on phase transformations induced by ultrasound. This paper presents a numerical model and the predicted results of the phase transformation of a spherical nanosized droplet of perfluorocarbon in water. Such a model has applications in acoustic droplet vaporization, the generation of gas bubbles for medical imaging, therapeutic delivery and other biomedical applications. The formation of a gas phase and the subsequent bubble dynamics were studied as a function of acoustic parameters, such as frequency and amplitude, and of the physical aspects of the perfluorocarbon nanodroplets, such as chemical species, temperature, droplet size and interfacial energy. The model involves simultaneous applications of mass, energy and momentum balances to describe bubble formation and collapse, and was developed and solved numerically. It was found that, all other parameters being constant, the maximum bubble size and collapse velocity increases with increasing ultrasound amplitude, droplet size, vapor pressure and temperature. The bubble size and collapse velocity decreased with increasing surface tension and frequency. These results correlate with experimental observations of acoustic droplet vaporization.

Original Publication Citation

Pitt, W.G., Perez, K.X., Singh, R.N., Husseini, G.A., and Jack, D.R. “Phase Transitions of Perfluorocarbon Nanoemulsions Induced with Ultrasound: A Mathematical Model”, Ultrasonics Sonochemistry, 21(2) 879-891 (2014). http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ultsonch.2013.08.005 http://authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S1350417713001764

Document Type

Peer-Reviewed Article

Publication Date

2014-3

Publisher

Elsevier

Language

English

College

Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering

Department

Chemical Engineering

University Standing at Time of Publication

Full Professor

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