SEMIPLENARIA 14

MERCURY INTRUSION EFFECTS MODELED IN AXIALLY SYMMETRIC PORES WITH ATTENUATED CROSS SECTION

 

I. Kornhauser⁽¹⁾, C. Felipe⁽²⁾, J. M. Esparza⁽¹⁾, A. Domínguez⁽¹⁾, M. Ponce⁽¹⁾, F. Rojas⁽¹⁾*

⁽¹⁾ Área de Fisicoquímica de Superficies, Departamento de Química, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana – Unidad Iztapalapa, MÉXICO, 09340 D.F.
⁽²⁾ Centro Interdisciplinario de Investigaciones y Estudios sobre Medio Ambiente y Desarrollo (CIIEMAD), Instituto Politécnico Nacional, MÉXICO 07340 D.F.

fernando@xanum.uam.mx

 

Hg intrusion inside axially symmetric pores with an attenuated cross-section ratifies some interesting effects. One is the influence of the pore wall angle of inclination on the intrusion pressure and meniscus radius of curvature. Another is that Hg penetration in pores of this sort cannot proceed gradually but instead in a jump-wise manner. Virtual penetration curves indicate Laplace stable or unstable states. In structures depicting a sinuous cavity to throat interconnections, a single meniscus can be transformed into two menisci by a snap-off mechanism. Hysteresis in these structures is the more intense as pore entities become sinuous. The onset of liquid penetration is not always occurring at the minimum cross section of a pore channel but at a specific point beyond this occlusion. The particular pore shapes in this work depict a series of alternating shallow bulges and throats; firstly, the ingoing liquid is subjected to enough pressure as to overcome the pore entrance; thereafter, the liquid phase penetrates spontaneously  along the pore length at constant pressure. Due to the incessant diminution in pore radius along the pore length, there eventually surges the onset of a more intense second liquid  penetration zone in which V_p the penetration volume, increases while the meniscus advances spontaneously from the vicinity of the first bulge to the neighborhood of the second neck. After, the pressure keeps mounting steadily with the respective increase of V_p. This last zone is Laplace stable, with consecutive menisci of smaller and smaller radius of curvature.

Keywords: Intrusion, Mercury, Cylindrical

References

[1] Adamson, A. W. (1990) Physical Chemistry of Surfaces, Wiley, New York.
[2] Washburn, E. W., Phys. Rev. 17, 273.