非均匀温度场下液滴蒸发迁移与热对流测量

Measurement of droplet evaporation, migration and thermal convection in non-uniform temperature fields

  • 摘要: 非均匀温度场中的微小液滴蒸发与迁移过程涉及热、流等多物理场耦合,在微流控、微尺度散热及生物医学等领域具有重要应用。为探究温度梯度作用下液滴接触线迁移行为与内部热流动不稳定性之间的耦合关系,本文利用可控局部温场的实验基底,搭建了结合高速显微成像、红外热像与micro-PIV技术的综合观测系统,以无水乙醇与HFE-7200两种润湿性差异显著的液滴为研究对象,对其在均匀及非均匀温度场中的蒸发过程进行了实验研究。实验结果表明,在0.41 K/mm的温度梯度下,低接触角滞后的HFE-7200液滴发生由热端向冷端的整体迁移,其迁移速度随时间的演化趋势与经典润滑理论预测基本一致;高接触角滞后的无水乙醇液滴仅表现为接触线的非对称回缩,未发生显著整体位移。液滴内部热对流流型显示,HFE-7200液滴在非均匀场中流动结构向冷端偏移,乙醇液滴则出现沿接触线传播的热液波,且在非均匀场中波动范围向冷端收缩。进一步基于Marangoni数、Rayleigh数、动态及静态Bond数的分析表明,HFE-7200蒸发过程中浮力效应与热毛细效应竞争显著,而乙醇液滴内部流动始终以热毛细驱动为主,各无量纲数的演化与内部流动模式的变化具有较明显的对应性。本研究从实验角度阐明了润湿性与接触线动力学对热毛细迁移的关键影响,对理解温度梯度对内部流动模式及不稳定演化过程的调控,以及非均匀热环境中液滴行为的预测与操控提供了依据。

     

    Abstract: The evaporation and migration of tiny droplets in non-uniform temperature fields involve the coupling of multi-physical fields such as heat and flow. These processes are crucial for applications in microfluidics, microscale heat dissipation, and biomedical engineering. To explore the interaction between contact line migration and internal thermal flow instability under temperature gradients, an experimental system was developed. The system includes an experimental substrate to control local temperature and combines high-speed microscopy, infrared thermography, and micro-PIV. Two droplets with distinct wettability, anhydrous ethanol and HFE-7200, were selected as study subjects. Their evaporation behaviors were investigated in both uniform and non-uniform temperature fields. Results show that under a temperature gradient of 0.41 K/mm, the HFE-7200 droplet, with a low contact angle hysteresis, migrates from the hot to the cold side. Its migration speed follows a trend consistent with classical lubrication theory. In contrast, the anhydrous ethanol droplet, which has a high contact angle hysteresis, only shows asymmetric retraction of the contact line, with no significant overall movement. Internal heat convection patterns reveal that the HFE-7200 droplet's flow structure shifts toward the cold side in the non-uniform field. The ethanol droplet displays hydrothermal waves propagating along the contact line and the range of these waves contracts toward the cold end in the non-uniform field. Analysis based on the Marangoni number, Rayleigh number, and dynamic and static Bond numbers shows that during the evaporation of HFE-7200, buoyancy effects and thermocapillary effects compete significantly. For the ethanol droplet, internal flow is primarily driven by thermocapillarity. And the evolution of dimensionless numbers correlates well with changes in internal flow patterns. This study clarifies the critical role of wettability and contact line dynamics in thermocapillary migration. It also provides insights into how temperature gradients influence internal flow modes and instability, offering a basis for predicting and controlling droplet behavior in non-uniform thermal environments.

     

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