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Events for February 09, 2006

  • Lyman L. Handy Colloquium Series

    Thu, Feb 09, 2006 @ 12:45 PM

    Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science

    Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars



    Lyman L. Handy ColloquiumMeasurement of Molecular and Thermal Diffusion Coefficients
    in Multicomponent MixturesDr. Abbas Firoozabadi
    Yale University and RERIAbstract Molecular, pressure, and thermal diffusion processes are important in a variety of disciplines including a vast number of problems related to the exploitation and production of hydrocarbons and improved oil recovery in fractured petroleum reservoirs. The combined effect of these diffusions can result in the unusual floatation of a stable heavy fluid on the top of a light fluid in certain mixtures of interest in hydrocarbon reservoirs.
    The study of diffusion processes in mixtures with three and higher species has been a challenge. Multicomponent diffusion is much more complicated than diffusion in binaries; there are some inherent differences between binary and ternary mixtures. Few measurements of molecular diffusion coefficients for multicomponent mixtures have been reported in the literature, even for ternaries. Current techniques are relatively slow and it takes several days to conduct a single measurement. Since the early twentieth century, a variety of methods have been developed to measure thermal diffusion coefficients. The two main methods are:1) the thermogravitational column technique and 2) the optical methods. There is only one report of measurements in a ternary mixture by a thermogravitational method. All the optical techniques have only been used to determine molecular and thermal diffusion coefficients for binary mixtures.
    In this talk, I will present a theory and derive working equations for determining thermal and molecular diffusion coefficients in multicomponent mixtures. An analytical model will be presented for the unsteady state behavior of multicomponent mixtures in a thermogravitational column and in an optical diffusion cell using laser beams. In the past, a major drawback with the beam deflection technique has been its limitation to binary mixtures. This is because the measured quantity is the components' net effect on the deflection of the beam rather than the concentration of each individual component. The beam deflection technique can only provide 2(n-1) coefficients, while n(n-1) diffusion coefficients define an n-component mixture. We have solved this problem by using beams of different wavelengths and have developed the mathematical solution to the general problem of multiple wavelengths. In order to determine all the diffusion coefficients of an n-component mixture, (n-1) beams of different wavelengths are required. Therefore, we can determine all the diffusion coefficients from the transient beam deflection measurements.Thursday, February 9, 2006
    Seminar at 12:45 p.m.
    OHE 122
    Refreshments will be served after the seminar in HED Lobby
    The Scientific Community is Cordially Invited

    Location: Olin Hall of Engineering (OHE) - 122

    Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

    Contact: Petra Pearce

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  • USC CS Colloquium Series

    Thu, Feb 09, 2006 @ 03:00 PM - 04:30 AM

    Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science

    Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars


    Prof. Stefano Soatto, UCLA to lectureSubject TBA

    Location: Seaver Science Library (SSL) - 150

    Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

    Contact: Nancy Levien

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