Respective contribution of cavitation and convective flow to local stirring in sonoreactors.

The knowledge of respective parts of convection and cavitation to the stirring induced by ultrasound at one exact position into a sonoreactor is useful for all processes implementing surfaces exposed to sonication. PIV measurement allows real fluid motion determination, whereas the electrochemical technique gives an equivalent flow velocity considered as the sum of all stirring contributions to the electrode. Thus, by a simple subtraction between real fluid velocity and equivalent flow velocity, it is possible to identify the contribution of each phenomenon. Applied to low frequency reactors, it had been observed that cavitation is the preponderant phenomenon, with a contribution of stirring close to the electrode always more than 90%. High frequency reactors, frequently known to produce less cavitation, have shown that at the focal zone, if it concerns HIFU, cavitation becomes preponderant and reaches similar values to those close to the ultrasonic horn in low frequency sonoreactors.

A predictive model obtained by identification for the ultrasonic "equivalent" flow velocity at surface vicinity.

In the specific applications of surface cleaning and electrochemistry which consist of processes implanting surface irradiation by ultrasound, design of large-scale devices requires us to understand acoustic field distribution together with its quantification. This observation allows systematic measurement of ultrasonic stirring throughout electrochemical determination of "equivalent" flow velocity versus various operating parameters (powers, electrode-horn distances, reactor geometry, frequencies, etc.). A numerical model was proposed to fit our curves and to identify some parameters by taking into account the characteristics of the ultrasonic wave (absorption coefficient, rate of cavitation bubbles and acoustic power). Nevertheless, the flicked behavior of the ultrasonic processes in the vicinity of the electrode as well as bubble presence which induce non-linearities in wave propagation lead us to propose a new approach based on parameter identification by methods currently used in chemical engineering. These parameters were related to physical criteria, and the global model was evaluated throughout analysis of its sensibility criteria.

Modification of the ultrasound induced activity by the presence of an electrode in a sonoreactor working at two low frequencies (20 and 40 kHz). Part I: Active zone visualization by laser tomography.

Sonoelectrochemical experiments differ from sonochemical ones by the introduction of electrodes in the sonicated reaction vessel. The aim of the study is to characterize the changes of the ultrasonic activity induced by the presence of an electrode located in front of the transducer. The scope of our investigations concerns two low frequencies vibration modes: 20 and 40 kHz. For this purpose, two laser visualization techniques have been used. The first part of the study, described in the present paper (part I), deals with the laser tomography technique which provides an accurate picture of the reactor actives zones, related to numerous cavitation events. For each frequency, two parameters were studied: the electrical power supplied to the transducer and the electrode transducer distance. At both frequencies, without electrode, we can observe distinct zones corresponding to cavitation production and stationary waves establishment. When increasing the input power, bubble clouds tend to form a unique cloud near the transducer. In presence of the electrode, bubble cavitation clouds are largely influenced by the obstacle. The second part of the paper (part II) will describe the Particle Image Velocimetry (P.I.V.) technique which allows to measure the velocity vector field in the fluid portion between the horn and the electrode.

Modification of the ultrasound induced activity by the presence of an electrode in a sono-reactor working at two low frequencies (20 and 40 kHz). Part II: Mapping flow velocities by particle image velocimetry (PIV).

Sonoelectrochemical experiments differ from sonochemical ones by the introduction of electrodes in the sonicated reaction vessel. The aim of the study is to characterize the changes in the ultrasonic activity induced by the presence of an electrode located in front of the transducer. The scope of our investigations concerns two low frequency vibration modes: 20 and 40 kHz. For this purpose, two laser visualization techniques have been used. The first part of the study, described in a previous paper (Part I), deals with the laser tomography technique which provides an accurate picture of the reactor active zones, related to numerous cavitation events. The second part of the paper (Part II) will describe the particle image velocimetry (PIV) technique used to measure the velocity vector field in the fluid portion between the horn and the electrode. As for the previous study, two parameters were studied: the electrical power supplied to the transducer and the electrode/transducer distance. The velocity vector fields show a main flow in the reactor axis. This flow seems to correspond to the conical cavitation bubbles structure which is observed on the laser tomography pictures. When an electrode is introduced into the reactor, two additional symmetric transversal flows can be quantified on both sides of the electrode.

Visualisation and electrochemical determination of the actives zones in an ultrasonic reactor using 20 and 500 kHz frequencies.

In this paper, active zones of an ultrasonic reactor are underlined by laser tomography and electrochemical measurements.

Influence of ultrasound power and frequency upon corrosion kinetics of zinc in saline media.

This paper is devoted to zinc corrosion and oxidation mechanism in an ultrasonically stirred aerated sodium sulfate electrolyte. It follows a previous study devoted to the influence of 20 kHz ultrasound upon zinc corrosion in NaOH electrolytes [Ultrason. Sonochemis. 8 (2001) 291]. In the present work, various ultrasound regimes were applied by changing the transmitted power and the wave frequency (20 and 40 kHz). Unlike NaOH electrolyte which turns the zinc electrode into a passive state, Na2SO4 saline media induces soft corrosion conditions. This allows a study of the combined effects of ultrasonically modified hydrodynamic and mechanical damage (cavitation) upon the zinc corrosion process. A series of initial experiments were carried out so as to determine the transmitted power and to characterize mass transfer distribution in the electrochemical cell. Zinc corrosion and oxidation process were subsequently studied with respect to the vibrating parameters. When exposed to a 20 kHz ultrasonic field, and provided that the electrode is situated at a maximum mass transfer point, the corrosion rate reaches values six to eight times greater than in silent conditions. The zinc oxidation reaction, in the absence of competitive reduction reactions, is also activated by ultrasound (20 and 40 kHz) but probably through a different process of surface activation.

Ultrasound influence on the activation step before electroless coating.

This paper is devoted to the electroless plating of non-conductive substrates under ultrasound at 530 kHz. The ultrasonic irradiation is applied to the activation and to the plating steps. Effects are measured by following the final copper thickness obtained in 1 h of plating time, easily correlated to the average plating rate. It appears that ultrasound has a strong influence on the plating rates enhancement, and assumptions can be made that this increase could be linked to the catalyst cleaning. This is confirmed by XPS measurements.

Electroless copper coating of epoxide plates in an ultrasonic field.

This paper reports the study of ultrasonic irradiation effects on electroless copper coating on an epoxide resin. Several parameters were monitored, such as plating rates, practical adhesion and internal stress, versus varying acoustic powers at a constant frequency of 530 kHz. Exposure conditions were characterised by both transmitted power and interfacial mass transfer coefficients. Optimum conditions expressed in irradiation time and power were determined. The use of ultrasound during electroless copper plating affects the plating rates and the deposits properties, particularly the practical adhesion which increases whereas the internal stress decreases. Then, the changes in the coating mechanisms are discussed.

Electrochemical behaviour of zinc in 20 kHz sonicated NaOH electrolytes.

This paper describes the influence of 20 kHz ultrasound upon the corrosion behaviour of zinc in NaOH electrolytes. A systematic study of the effects exerted by ultrasound on the electrochemical interface was first carried out, so as to determine the transmitted power and to characterize mass transfer at the electrode. Then attention was focused on the corrosion passivation mechanism of zinc in sonicated NaOH solutions (0.1 and 1 M). Investigations were carried out using electrochemical techniques to determine corrosion and passivation kinetics parameters. SEM analysis of the sonicated zinc surfaces provides complementary information on the oxide layer composition and structure.

Double-structured ultrasonic high frequency reactor using an optimised slant bottom.

The present work has been carried out in order to design a new type of ultrasonic reactor consisting of a double-structured tank. The inner working compartment is built with a slant bottom to allow a better ultrasonic transmission. This paper reports the effect of the inclination angle on acoustic efficiency for several different plates, e.g. two plates made of glass (2 mm and 3 mm thickness) and one made of PVC (3 mm thickness). The acoustic efficiency was determined as the ratio of the signal measured by a hydrophone in the presence of the plate to that signal in the absence of the plate. Having optimised the system, the ultrasonic powers in the inner and the outer compartments of the slant bottom reactor were determined by hydrogen peroxide dosimetry.