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Manual
In der Au 25
D - 61440 Oberursel
email: sales@tec5.com
Internet: http:\\www.tec5.com
© 2004 tec5 AG
Contents
1 Introduction...................................................................................................3
2 Basics About Ultrasonic Levitation ............................................................4
2.1 General Working Principle ................................................................................................................4
2.2 Typical Effects Occurring with Ultrasonic Levitation .....................................................................8
3 Description of the Ultrasonic Levitator....................................................10
3.1 The Power Supply Unit.....................................................................................................................10
3.2 The Levitator with Process Chamber.............................................................................................. 11
3.3 Options ...............................................................................................................................................12
3.4 Maintenance and Service..................................................................................................................13
3.5 Safety Instructions ............................................................................................................................ 14
3.6 Technical Specifications....................................................................................................................15
4 Working with the Ultrasonic Levitator ....................................................16
4.1 Start, Tuning, and Calibration of the Levitator .............................................................................16
4.2 Deployment and Extraction of Liquid Samples ..............................................................................17
4.3 Experimenting with the Levitator and its Unique Features .......................................................... 21
4.4 Some helpful tricks for experimenting with the levitator .............................................................. 23
4.5 Potential Applications.......................................................................................................................24
5 Literature.....................................................................................................25
Note Before installation of the ultrasonic levitator, the present manual and in par-
ticular the safety and maintenance instructions should be read carefully.
Chapter 2 of the present manual gives a brief description of the basic working
principles of ultrasonic levitation. A more detailed description of the different
parts of the levitator and of the available optional accessories is given in Chapter
3. Instructions for using the ultrasonic levitator are provided in Chapter 4. To
gain a better and more detailed understanding of this levitation technique and its
applications, a selection of relevant literature is cited in Chapter 5.
We hope, you enjoy working with the ultrasonic levitator, and we wish you suc-
cess in your specific application. As we are continuously trying to improve the
general performance of the ultrasonic levitator and to increase its field of applica-
tions, any ideas or suggestions from our customers are highly appreciated.
Reflector
Sound-
radiation-
n ∗ λ0/2 pressure
Bernoulli-
λ0 stress
Droplet
Piezoelectric
transducer
Table 2-1: Specifications for the levitation of water drops in ambient air.
The levitator is designed for applications with liquid and solid samples with de n-
sities in the range 0.5 - 2 g/cm³. The large dynamic range of the levitation force of
1:10 allows, however, short time levitation experiments with heavy samples ha v-
ing a significantly higher density.
z z z
+
-
stable
+ unstable
-
Pressure Velocity Force
under microgravity
"on earth"
Figure 2-2: Acoustic pressure, velocity and levitation force in an ultrasonic
standing wave.
p$ = p$ max ⋅ cos kz
v$ = v$max ⋅ sin kz
with the well known nodes and antinodes result in respective profiles of the ki-
netic and potential energy densities:
2
p$ max
E pot = 2
2 cos kz
2 ρ 0 c0
ρ 0 v$max
2
Ekin = sin 2 kz
2
In the above equations, k represents the wave number : k = 2π / λ .
Levitation force These energy densities provide a pressure distribution around the sample which,
after integration over the sample surface, results in an axial acoustic levitation
force:
ρ0 2 π 2 π 3
Fac = cw,ac ⋅ ⋅ v$max ⋅ ⋅ ds = ⋅ ds ⋅ ρ s ⋅ g
2 4 6
This levitation force compensates the sample weight ρsVs g in the gravity field.
Under microgravity conditions (g ≈ 0 m/s²), the sample will be stably positioned
exactly at a pressure node, while under terrestrial conditions its weight is compe n-
sated at a downwards displacement of the sample center below the pressure node.
Due to the fact that the standing ultrasonic wave is not a perfect plane wave, but
shows a slight divergence, a radial profile of the sound particle velocity exists.
This results in a symmetrical radial force which is centering the levitated sample
on the levitator axis. The radial force is about one order of magnitu de smaller than
the axial levitation force.
Pressure nodes In the standard ultrasonic levitator, 4 to 5 pressure nodes exist which can be vis u-
alized by atomizing a drop of water at the transducer frontface. The atomized
aerosol will agglomerate in the pressure nodes. Only the inner 2 to 3 pressure
nodes can be used for stable levitation. The two outer nodes are influenced by d e-
stabilizing effects from the transducer and the reflector.
Droplets with diameters ds ≥ 2/3 λ can not be levitated. The optimal droplet di-
ameter, for which minimal ultrasonic power is required, is ds,opt = λ/3 . Table 2-2
gives an overview of different liquids, their surface tension and density, and the
corresponding maximal droplet diameters and volumes for ultrasonic levitation.
These values correspond to the critical Bond-number Bocrit. = 1.5 and are irrespec-
tive of the ultrasonic frequency, which means that these figures are absolute va l-
ues. Droplets with diameters larger than indicated in Table 2-2 are not acousti-
cally levitatable at all, for stability reasons.
Table 2-2: Overview of different liquids and their max. droplet diameter and vol-
ume (for Bocrit. = 1.5) for ultrasonic levitation.
Small drops of a liquid with high surface tension remain almost spherical.
Figure 2-3 shows the characteristic behavior of the acoustic power intensity and
the corresponding drop deformation. The left diagram shows the dynamic power
range between the minimum power for safe levitation and the maximum power for
a deformed droplet just before destruction. The right diagram represents the ratio
between the horizontal diameter d* of the deformed drop and the diameter d0 of
the non-deformed drop. It can be seen from both graphics that drops with Bond-
numbers larger than 1.5 can not be levitated.
Pac d*/d0
max.
2
min.
1
0 1.5 Bo 0 1.5 Bo
Figure 2-3: Acoustic power intensity and drop deformation as a function of Bond-
number.
These temperature effects are usually small and negligible, but they should be
mentioned and possibly have to be taken into account for certain applications. The
sound absorption increases with lower ultrasonic frequencies. With the standard
58 kHz levitator, a temperature increase at the pressure nodes of less than 0.5°C
was measured.
The effective acoustic convection flow velocity can be used to define a corr e-
sponding Reynolds number. The resulting Reynolds number is rather low, like
e.g. Re = 1.83 for a 1 mm water droplet.
Slight asymmetries in the acoustically induced convective flow field might result
in mostly undesired and uncontrolled drop rotations.
The front panel contains an LED control (red for AC power and green for HF
power), a potentiometer for the continuous variation of the transducer amplitude
and a liquid crystal display of the tranducer voltage (displayed in arbitrary units).
The red LED is on when the AC power is properly connected and the power sup-
ply unit is switched on. The green LED is on when the phase-locked-loop (PLL) is
locked in and the transducer oscillates on its resonance frequency. A blinking of
the green LED indicates that the PLL is not locked in due to a too high damping
or an improper cable connection. The power supply unit enables the resonance
tuning control of the reflector distance at constant transducer amplitude setting.
The back side of the generator contains the AC power entrance safety plug, the
on/off switch and a 3-pole round socket for the connection of the ultrasonic trans-
ducer via a 2 m long shielded cable. A second socket allows the connection of a
commercial low frequency oscillator for modulation of the ultrasonic carrier
wave.
Both flanges are coaxially interconnected with 4 anodized spacing pins. The sta n-
dard distance between transducer frontface and reflector is about 2.5 times the
wavelength, which means 14.8 mm at the standard frequency of 58 kHz in air. The
micrometer screw allows a distance variation by ± 6 mm.
The standard version of the levitator is equipped with a single -walled processing
chamber. This chamber is a glass tube with 70 mm inner diameter and 2 mm wall
thickness. Three windows with Spindler & Hoyer Microbench adapters in the
sample plane provide access for manipulation, illumination and observation of the
sample. A sound absorber, around the transducer shaft eliminates undesired
acoustic reflections and resonances inside the process chamber. The levitator can
also be operated in an open version, without the process chamber, thus providing
better access to the levitated sample but also being more sensitive to und esired
disturbances induced from external air flows.
Micrometer
adjustment screw
Piezoelectric
sensor connector
Piezoelectric sensor
Reflector
Ultrasound transducer
Absorber
HF-connector
In the standard unit, without the optional free jet nozzle, the axial bore hole of the
ultrasound transducer can be used to apply a flow around the levitated sample.
This, however, is limited to gas temperatures below 70°C in order not to damage
the piezoelectric transducer element. The free jet nozzle integrated into the refle c-
tor allows hot gas, with temperatures up to a few hundred degrees Celsius, to be
blown around the levitated sample thus facilitating the investigation of fundame n-
tal processes of e.g. spray drying.
The ultrasonic levitator is robust and easy to be maintained under proper operat-
ing conditions.
The processing chamber can easily be disassembled and its components, esp e-
cially the glass tube, should be cleaned frequently with ordinary dishwasher fluid.
The sound absorber (foam rubber) can be cleaned with water or replaced if nece s-
sary.
In case of algae deposits inside the water carrying section of the double wall pro c-
essing chamber tube, we recommend cleaning with some low concentrated acid.
In case of problems with the ultrasonic generator please send the power supply
unit together with the levitator back to tec5 AG for servicing.
• Check compatibility of sample liquid and its vapor with critical levitator co m-
ponents
Figure 4-1: Levitated droplets in the 2nd and 3rd pressure node above the ultra-
sonic transducer.
Sample Liquid samples can be introduced from a µl-syringe (see Figure 4-2),
deployment either free handed or by using a commercial support sleigh. Detachment of a dro p-
let from the needle of a syringe can be facilitated by changing slightly the refle c-
tor distance. After detachment from the syringe needle, the levitated droplet may
perform oscillations which can be damped by changing the resonator distance and
/or the ultrasonic power level.
Operating with "aggressive" liquids requires a compatibility test with the proces s-
ing chamber components which might come in contact with the fluid or its vapor.
The problem is only critical however, to the sound absorber of the lower process-
ing chamber flange, which can easily be replaced.
Sample Sample extraction can be accomplished either with the syringe (see
extraction sample deployment) or by switching the levitator off and letting the drop fall
either onto the transducer frontface or onto an acoustically transparent, flexible
but stiff enough wire mesh, introduced slightly below the sample.
Solid samples can be introduced and extracted with the same, acoustically tran s-
parent wire mesh or by using tweezers.
The levitator has been designed mainly for experiments with liquid samples with
densities in the range 0.5 - 2 g/cm³, excluding mercury. The large power dynamic
range of 1:10 allows however a short time levitation of heavy solid samples (de n-
sity below 8 g/cm³), if the fast transducer heat up is considered and limited to T ≤
80°C.
• Connect a frequency generator (sine wave) to the BNC socket (modulation in-
put) at the back plate of the power supply unit.
• Choose the proper frequency range (approx. 10 Hz to 2 kHz) of the sine wave
generator.
These vibration experiments may take advantage of the reflector sensor, which a l-
lows a simple recording and monitoring of resonance curves with a commercial
oscilloscope and might save costs for expensive optical recording equipment.
• Small styrofoam spheres are ideal samples for getting familiar with the levita-
tor.
• Silver iodine is an ideal tracer material to make streams inside a levitated drop
visible.
• Air flows around a levitated drop can be made visible with tracing fume and
light-sheet illumination using a cylinder lens mounted in one window opening
of the processing chamber.
• Sulphur powder is an excellent tracer material for fluid currents at the sample
surface.
• Water drops with dissolved Sodium chloride or Lithium chloride can be used
to demonstrate the shrinking and growth of a levitated drop by condensation
and diffusion from the environment. Depending on the actual vapour pressure
of the solution and the environment, the evaporation-shrinking or condensa-
tion-growth can be stopped (stable equilibrium of the drop diameter).
− slightly tilted (10° - 15°) position of the levitator stabilizes the levitation
conditions
• Other experiments:
− Investigation of drop deformation and disintegration (atomization).
− Investigation of liquid shells.
− Combustion of single fuel drops.
− Micro- and trace analysis with small samples.
− Light scattering at droplets and non-spherical particles.
− Calibration os particle sizing instruments.
BEDIEN-LEVI.DOC —
DECEMBER 5 1995
JUNE 29 2004