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Self-propulsion of Leidenfrost Drops between Non-Parallel Structures
Cheng Luo1, Manjarik Mrinal2, Xiang Wang2
1Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Texas at Arlington, 500 W, First Street, Woolf Hall 226, Arlington, TX, 76019, USA. chengluo@uta.edu.
Abstract:
In this work, we explored self-propulsion of a Leidenfrost drop between non-parallel structures. A theoretical model was first developed to determine conditions for liquid drops to start moving away from the corner of two non-parallel plates. These conditions were then simplified for the case of a Leidenfrost drop. Furthermore, ejection speeds and travel distances of Leidenfrost drops were derived using a scaling law. Subsequently, the theoretical models were validated by experiments. Finally, three new devices have been developed to manipulate Leidenfrost drops in different ways.
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