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In situ viscosity measurement of confined liquids
The viscosity of liquids governs crucial physical and engineering phenomena, ranging from diffusion and transport processes of nutrients and chemicals, to the generation of friction and the physics of damping. Engineering fluids frequently experience local conditions that change their bulk rheologic...
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| Published in: | RSC advances 2015-01, Vol.5 (121), p.99585-99593 |
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Citations: | Items that this one cites Items that cite this one |
| Online Access: | Get full text |
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| Summary: | The viscosity of liquids governs crucial physical and engineering phenomena, ranging from diffusion and transport processes of nutrients and chemicals, to the generation of friction and the physics of damping. Engineering fluids frequently experience local conditions that change their bulk rheological properties. While viscosity data can easily be acquired using conventional rheometers, the results are not always applicable to fluids under engineering conditions. This is particularly the case for fluids being sheared at high pressure under severe confinement, which experience very high shear stresses and often show extensive shear thinning. There is a lack of suitable methods for measuring fluid viscosity under such conditions. This work describes a novel
in situ
viscosity measurement technique to fill this gap. It involves the quantification of the fluorescence lifetime of a fluorescent dye that is sensitive to viscosity. The capability of the developed technique is verified by taking measurements in submicron thick films of two model fluids confined in a ball on flat contact. Viscosity measurements were successfully performed at pressures up to 1.2 GPa and shear rates up to 10
5
s
−1
. Spatial heterogeneity in viscosity caused by variations in pressure within the thin fluid film could be observed using the technique. It was also possible to detect differences in the rheological responses of a Newtonian and a non-Newtonian fluid. These first
in situ
high pressure, high shear viscosity measurements demonstrate the versatility of the proposed technique in providing information on the viscosity in conditions where contemporary techniques are insufficient. More importantly it highlights the complexity of the rheology of engineering fluids and provides a means of verifying existing theories by performing
in situ
measurements. Information on local viscosity is crucial for understanding the physics of confined fluids and to facilitate improvements in engineering technology.
Viscosity heterogeneity in a thin glycerol film (170 nm) at high pressure was observed with fluorescence lifetime measurements. |
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| ISSN: | 2046-2069 2046-2069 |
| DOI: | 10.1039/c5ra19245e |