Acoustic streaming and Sun's meridional circulation

A vast number of physical processes involving oscillations of a bounded viscous fluid are relevantly influenced by acoustic streaming. When this happens a steady circulation of fluid develops in a thin boundary adjacent to the interface. Some examples are refracted sound waves, a fluid inside a spherical cavity undergoing torsional oscillations or a pulsating liquid droplet. Steady streaming around circular interfaces consists of a hemispherically symmetric recirculation of fluid from the equatorial plane to the polar axes closely resembling the meridional circulation pattern observed in the Sun＇s convection zone that determines the solar cycle. In this paper, it is argued that the acoustic pulsations exhibited by the Sun would lead to acoustic streaming in the boundary of the convection zone. A simple estimation using a typical dominant frequency of 3 mHz and the observed surface oscillation amplitude yields a steady streaming velocity Us - 10 m s^-1, which is on the order of the meridional circulation velocity observed in the Sun＇s convection zone.

Magnetic field assisted fluidization:A modified Richardson-Zaki equation

Magnetic particles can be uniformly fluidized by coupling the gas flow with an externally imposed magnetic field. Interparticle forces generated by the magnetic field cause aggregation of the particles in chain-like structures preferentially oriented along the magnetic field lines. In the present paper, we study the implications of the formation of these special types of aggregates on the empirical Richardson-Zaki （RZ） equation, originally proposed to describe the expansion of fluidized beds of non-aggregated particles. We have addressed two important issues, namely the flow regime, which is a function of the size of the aggregates, and the effect of shape and orientation of the chain-like aggregates with respect to gas flow on fluid drag. We propose a modified RZ equation （MRZE） in which the velocity scale, given by the terminal settling velocity of the individual aggregates, and the RZ exponent are predetermined as a function of the chain length. The chain length depends on the ratio of the magnetic energy to gravitational energy, and is estimated from the magnetic field intensity, and particle magnetization, size and density. Predictions of the MRZE are successfully compared with published results in the literature on the expansion of magnetic particles in the presence of externally applied magnetic fields.

Probing the nature of the contact between fine particles by using ultrasound propagation

The propagation velocity （Vs） of an ultrasonic signal through a granular material depends on the type of interparticle contact. For noncohesive glass beads, a power law behavior Vs α σc1/6 for consolidation stresses applied （σc） above 1 MPa has been measured in previous work. This equation is compatible with Hertz＇s interaction law between elastic solids. In the present work, we have tested the propagation velocity of ultrasound signals through a sample of fine powder. The tensile strength and compactivity of the powder were previously measured by means of the Seville powder tester （SPT）, indicating plastic deformation of the surface asperities in contact for small to moderate consolidation stresses. However, the measurements of ultrasound propagation at high consolidations presented here are compatible with Hertz＇s law. This finding suggests that for high consolidation stresses, surface asperities are flattened, and it is therefore the elastic deformation of the bulk of the particles that determines the transmission of ultrasonic pulses.