Homogeneous nucleation kinetics

Zanotto E.D. and Galhardi A., "Experimental Test of the General Theory of Transformation Kinetics Homogeneous Nucleation in a Na20-2Ca0 3Si02 Glass," J. Non-Cryst. Solids, 104, 73-80 (1988). 

Spontaneous (Homogeneous) Nucleation This process is quite difficult because of me energy barrier associated with creation of the interfacial area. It can be treated as a kinetic process with the... 

Thus, the BLEVE theory predicts that, when the temperature of a superheated liquid is below T, liquid flashing cannot give rise to a blast wave. This theory is based on the solid foundations of kinetic gas theory and experimental observations of homogeneous nucleation boiling. It is also supported by the experiments of BASF and British Gas. However, because no systematic study has been conducted, there is no proof that the process described actually governs the type of flashing that causes strong blast waves. Furthermore, rapid vaporization of a superheated liquid below its superheat limit temperature can also produce a blast wave, albeit a weak... 

Various kinetic models on particle formation were proposed by different researchers. These may be classified as follows (1) radical absorption mechanisms by Gardon [28-34] and Fisch and Tsai [13], (2) micellar nucleation newer models by Nomura et al. [35,36] and by Hansen and Ugelstad [37], (3) homogeneous nucleation by Fistch and coworkers [13,38,39]. 

Thermodynamic and mechanical equilibrium on a curved vapor-liquid interface requires a certain degree of superheat in order to maintain a given curvature. Characteristics of homogeneous and heterogeneous nucleation can be estimated in the frame of classical theory of kinetics of nucleation (Volmer and Weber 1926 Earkas 1927 Becker and Doring 1935 Zel dovich 1943). The vapor temperature in the bubble Ts.b can be computed from equations (Bankoff and Flaute 1957 Cole 1974 Blander and Katz 1975 Li and Cheng 2004) for homogeneous nucleation in superheated liquids... 

Using the properties of water Li and Cheng (2004) computed from the classical kinetics of nucleation the homogeneous nucleation temperature and the critical nu-cleation radius ra. The values are 7s,b = 303.7 °C and r nt = 3.5 nm. However, the nucleation temperatures of water in heat transfer experiments in micro-channels carried out by Qu and Mudawar (2002), and Hetsroni et al. (2002b, 2003, 2005) were considerably less that the homogeneous nucleation temperature of 7s,b = 303.7 °C. The nucleation temperature of a liquid may be considerably decreased because of the following effects dissolved gas in liquid, existence of corners in a micro-channel, surface roughness. 

The interphases between MDs should not be able to cause nucleation of the semicrystalline phase. If the interphase displays nucleation activity, first-order crystallization kinetics may be obtained however, the supercooling at which dynamic crystallization from the melt occurs will not be the maximum that could be possibly attained if homogeneous nucleation were in place. 

Having described the equilibrium structure and thermodynamics of the vapor condensate we then re-examine homogeneous nucleation theory. This combination of thermodynamics and rate kinetics, in which the free energy of formation is treated as an activation energy in a monomer addition reaction, contains the assumption that equilibrium thermodynamic functions can be applied to a continuum of non-equilibrium states. For the purpose of elucidating the effects of the removal of the usual approximations, we retain this assumption and calculate a radially dependent free energy of formation. Ve find, that by removing the conventional assumptions, the presumed thermodynamic barrier to nucleation is absent. 

In this section, a brief description of the necessary experiments to identify the kinetic parameters of a seeded naphthalene-toluene batch crystallization system is presented. Details about the experimental apparatus and procedure are given by Witkowski (12). Operating conditions are selected so that the supersaturation level is kept within the metastable region to prevent homogeneous nucleation. To enhance the probability of secondary nucleation, sieved naphthalene seed particles are introduced into the system at time zero. 

Although Eq. 27 appears to be the most likely initiation reaction, we cannot rule out a process in which water vapor and DMTC react, based on the ab initio results described in Sect. 4.6. If this does occur, however, it apparently does not lead to homogeneous nucleation of particles, since anecdotal evidence from the glass industry indicates that DMTC and water vapor can be premixed prior APCVD of tin oxide without substantial buildup of solids in delivery lines. Perhaps this is due to significant kinetic barriers to the decomposition of the tin-water complexes that initially form, so that further gas-phase reaction does not occur until the reactants enter the heated boundary layer above the substrate. 

From a kinetic point of view, the homogeneous nucleation rate (Nr) [57] and the growth rate (Gr) [58] can be expressed as a function of the supersaturation ratio ... 

Katz described the homogeneous nucleation of a supersaturated vapour using J(i), the net rate at which clusters of size i grow to size i + 1 [63]. In this kinetic equation, J(i) is the difference between the rate at which clusters of size i add an additional monomer, and the rate at which clusters of size i + 1... 

The kinetics of nucleation of one-component gas hydrates in aqueous solution have been analyzed by Kashchiev and Firoozabadi (2002b). Expressions were derived for the stationary rate of hydrate nucleation,./, for heterogeneous nucleation at the solution-gas interface or on solid substrates, and also for the special case of homogeneous nucleation. Kashchiev and Firoozabadi s work on the kinetics of hydrate nucleation provides a detailed examination of the mechanisms and kinetic expressions for hydrate nucleation, which are based on classical nucleation theory. Kashchiev and Firoozabadi s (2002b) work is only briefly summarized here, and for more details the reader is referred to the original references. 

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