Liquid Loss From Advancing Aqueous Foams With Very Low Water Content

Abstract

Applications employing aqueous foams begin with filling a space with foam, and the liquid loss (drainage) from the foam during and after this process plays a crucial role in its effectiveness. We describe the loss of liquid from foam and the evolution of its average liquid fraction over time. The theoretical model shows a constant drainage rate during the filling process which decays exponentially after a static column is formed. Modeling the advancing foam front requires a new time scale, the fill time, which substantially affects the drainage of liquid. Significant effects are also found by varying bubble size, foam column height, and initial expansion ratio, i.e., the volume ratio of foam to liquid. Foams with low water content are generated experimentally at the bench scale, and the measured loss of liquid is found to be in good agreement with the theoretical predictions.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 14, 2011
Accession Number
ADA539624

Entities

People

  • James Fleming
  • John Farley
  • Justin Taylor
  • Michael Conroy
  • Ramagopal Ananth

Organizations

  • United States Naval Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Flow
  • Chemistry
  • Crystal Structure
  • Differential Equations
  • Equations
  • Experimental Data
  • Fire Suppression
  • Flow Rate
  • Fluids
  • Geometry
  • Liquid Phases
  • Liquids
  • Military Research
  • Partial Differential Equations
  • Pressure Gradients
  • Steady State
  • Surface Tension

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Atmospheric Science / Meteorology, specifically Wind Wave Turbulence.
  • Combustion and Flow Dynamics.
  • Environmental Engineering

Technology Areas

  • Space
  • Space - Hall-Effect Thruster