Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 23, 2026
12:37
Phase Diagram Characterization Using Magnetic Beads as Liquid Carriers
Published on: September 4, 2015
Phenomenological description of phase inversion.
1J.M. Burgerscentrum, Laboratory for Aero- and Hydrodynamics, Delft University of Technology, Leeghwaterstraat 21, 2628 CA Delft, The Netherlands.
Summary
We developed an extended Ginzburg-Landau model to describe phase inversion in water-oil flows. This model accurately represents the ambivalence region using injected phase volume fraction and friction factor.
Area of Science:
- Multiphase flow dynamics
- Thermodynamics and phase transitions
Background:
- Phase inversion is a critical phenomenon in dispersed water-oil flows.
- Understanding the ambivalence region is key to controlling flow behavior.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose an extended Ginzburg-Landau model for describing the ambivalence region in dispersed water-oil flow.
- To quantitatively represent the phase inversion phenomenon.
Main Methods:
- An extended Ginzburg-Landau model was developed.
- The model draws analogy to classical mean-field theory of phase transitions.
Main Results:
- The model provides a good quantitative representation of the ambivalence region.
- Injected phase volume fraction and friction factor were identified as key physical parameters.
Conclusions:
- The extended Ginzburg-Landau model effectively describes the ambivalence region in water-oil flows.
- The model offers a predictive tool for managing phase inversion phenomena.
Related Concept Videos
01:19Phase Diagram
The phase of a given substance depends on the pressure and temperature. Thus, plots of pressure versus temperature showing the phase in each region provide considerable insights into the thermal properties of substances. Such plots are known as phase diagrams. For instance, in the phase diagram for water (Figure 1), the solid curve boundaries between the phases indicate phase transitions (i.e., temperatures and pressures at which the phases coexist).
01:24Phase Diagram
A phase diagram is a graphical representation of the physical states of a substance under different conditions of temperature and pressure. It shows the boundaries between solid, liquid, and gas phases and the conditions at which these phases coexist in equilibrium. An area in a phase diagram represents a single phase, whereas lines or phase boundaries represent the equilibrium between two phases.In the phase diagram of water, the boundary line between the solid and liquid states illustrates...
01:20The Phase Rule
The phase rule describes the relationship between the variance (degrees of freedom), the number of components, and the number of phases in a system at equilibrium.Variance is a concept that denotes the number of independent intensive properties (properties are those that do not depend on the amount of material in the system), such as temperature, pressure, and composition, that can be altered without impacting the number of phases in equilibrium.In a single-component system, such as pure water,...
02:31Phase Transitions
Whether solid, liquid, or gas, a substance's state depends on the order and arrangement of its particles (atoms, molecules, or ions). Particles in the solid pack closely together, generally in a pattern. The particles vibrate about their fixed positions but do not move or squeeze past their neighbors. In liquids, although the particles are closely spaced, they are randomly arranged. The position of the particles are not fixed—that is, they are free to move past their neighbors to occupy...
01:21Phase Transitions
A phase transition is the process in which a substance changes from one state of matter to another, like from a solid to a liquid, liquid to gas, or vice versa, at a specific temperature and under given pressure conditions. This change is spontaneous and is affected by alterations in temperature and pressure. These parameters impact the strength of the forces between molecules (intermolecular forces) in the substance.During a phase transition, both the initial and final phases of the substance...
01:19Phase Changes
Phase transitions play an important theoretical and practical role in the study of heat flow. In melting or fusion, a solid turns into a liquid; the opposite process is freezing. In evaporation, a liquid turns into a gas; the opposite process is condensation.
A substance melts or freezes at a temperature called its melting point and boils or condenses at its boiling point. These temperatures depend on pressure. High pressure favors the denser form of the substance, so typically, high pressure...
A substance melts or freezes at a temperature called its melting point and boils or condenses at its boiling point. These temperatures depend on pressure. High pressure favors the denser form of the substance, so typically, high pressure...