Ultrasonic control apparatus and method for liquid jet

An ultrasonic control apparatus and method for a liquid jet are provided. An ultrasonic generator is equipped with two sets of ultrasonic transducers arranged perpendicularly to each other, and the two sets of ultrasonic transducers emit ultrasonic waves of a specific frequency. Two sets of reflectors are arranged correspondingly in front of the ultrasonic waves emitted by the two sets of ultrasonic transducers, where a distance exists between the ultrasonic transducers and the corresponding reflectors, two stable standing wave sound fields are formed by adjusting the distance. A liquid jet device is equipped with a nozzle that emits a continuous jet, where the nozzle is located above an intersection of pressure nodes of the two standing wave sound fields, and the two standing wave sound fields act on the liquid jet to adjust jet morphology under the action of acoustic radiation pressures.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This patent application claims the benefit and priority of Chinese Patent Application No. 2024103657358, filed with the China National Intellectual Property Administration on Mar. 28, 2024, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety as part of the present application.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to the technical field of liquid jet control, and in particular, to an ultrasonic control apparatus and method for a liquid jet.

BACKGROUND

Research on liquid jets has made certain progress both domestically and internationally. Domestic research mainly focuses on technical applications, jet characteristics, and the interaction between jets and solids, while international research is more concentrated on numerical simulation and modeling, technological improvements, and applications in the medical and energy fields. However, existing jet control methods suffer from low stability and limited adjustment ranges. By researching new technologies and improving traditional methods, the precision, stability, and controllability of liquid jets can be continuously enhanced to meet the demands for liquid jet control in various fields.

Ultrasonic control technology has shown great potential in controlling jet behavior. The integration of ultrasonic technology with other control techniques can achieve highly precise control over jet behavior and stability. However, current research on ultrasonic control methods for liquid jets mainly focuses on applying an ultrasonic field in a single direction to a liquid jet and controlling the behavior of the liquid jet by adjusting ultrasonic parameters. There are still limitations in improving the precision, stability, and controllability of liquid jets.

Previous methods for ultrasonic control of liquid behavior have focused more on the behavior of droplets under the action of acoustic radiation pressure. An ultrasonic droplet control system disclosed in Chinese Patent Application No. CN202310346585.1 and an ultrasonic droplet control system disclosed in Chinese Patent Application No. CN202223429928.0 can achieve precise control of discrete droplets through ultrasound, but they cannot achieve precise control of continuous jets.

For the control of continuous jets, two methods are typically used: electric control and ultrasonic control. Chinese Patent Application No. CN201810049101.6, entitled “Method and Apparatus for Controlling Jet Breakup and Droplet Generation,” discloses an electric control method, while Chinese Patent Application No. CN202210473271.3, “Piezoelectric Monodisperse Droplet Generation Apparatus and Generation Method,” discloses an ultrasonic control method. However, both methods cannot adjust the diameter of a continuous jet, and the control and adjustment effects on jet morphology, jet velocity, and stability are poor. Therefore, these methods can usually only be applied within a wavelength range of unstable jets (wavelength>jet circumference), limiting the dimensions and range of adjustment.

Thus, it is a pressing problem in the field to provide an ultrasonic control apparatus and method for a liquid jet, which is based on acoustic radiation pressure and can precisely control the diameter of a continuous jet to meet the special requirements for the shape and stability of liquid jet behavior in industrial production.

SUMMARY

In view of this, the present disclosure provides an ultrasonic control apparatus for a liquid jet, which achieves precise control of jet diameter based on the principle of acoustic radiation pressure through a dual-axis orthogonal ultrasonic field.

To achieve the above objective, the present disclosure adopts the following technical solutions: an ultrasonic control apparatus for a liquid jet, including:

The present disclosure has the following beneficial effects: By forming two standing wave sound fields with two sets of ultrasonic transducers and two sets of reflectors, a liquid jet is ejected at a common node of the two standing wave sound fields. The jet is subjected to the action of two radial acoustic radiation pressures. By adjusting the sound pressure, the liquid jet experiences a radial pressure under the action of the acoustic radiation pressure, reducing its diameter. By adjusting the amplitude of the sound pressure, the diameter of the jet can be regulated. Additionally, by modulating an input signal of the ultrasonic generator, a low-frequency signal can be superimposed on a high-frequency input to generate modulated ultrasound. Based on the unstable frequency of the jet, a modulated waveform can be superimposed to achieve control over jet breakup, i.e., droplet size control, allowing for control over the disturbance frequency and modulation depth, as well as more precise control over the breakup length, unstable wavelength, and the diameter of the generated droplets, thus achieving the function of generating monodisperse droplets.

Preferably, the ultrasonic generator further includes an ultrasonic signal generator and two sets of power amplifiers. The two sets of power amplifiers are electrically connected to the two sets of ultrasonic transducers, respectively. The ultrasonic signal generator is electrically connected to the two sets of power amplifiers, and both the ultrasonic signal generator and the power amplifiers are placed on an optical platform.

The technical effect produced by this arrangement is that the acoustic frequency can be adjusted as needed to meet predetermined measurement requirements.

Preferably, the optical platform is connected to two sets of adjustable sliding rails that are dual-axis adjustable sliding rails that allow for X and Y axis adjustments. The adjustable sliding rails are connected to a clamping seat for fixing the ultrasonic transducers, allowing the ultrasonic transducers to adjust a positional relationship with the reflectors under the action of the adjustable sliding rails.

The technical effect produced by this configuration is that the adjustable sliding rails can be used to adjust the X and Y positions of the clamping seat and the ultrasonic transducers, obtaining stable standing wave sound fields with the cooperation of the reflectors.

Preferably, the optical platform is connected to vertical rails, on which a telescopic platform is slidably connected. The nozzle is fixedly connected to a telescopic end of the telescopic platform and adjusts a horizontal position of the nozzle. The optical platform is connected to an injection pump, where an outlet of the injection pump is connected to the nozzle to provide a liquid jet at a specific speed.

The technical effect produced by this setup is that the injection pump provides a liquid jet at a specific speed, and the state of the jet can be adjusted using acoustic radiation pressures. The telescopic platform can adjust the horizontal position of the nozzle, while the vertical rails can adjust the height of the nozzle to meet experimental conditions.

Preferably, a power range obtained through joint adjustment by the ultrasonic signal generator and the power amplifiers is 0 to 2 kW, with a frequency range of a generated alternating voltage being 0.2 kHz to 40 kHz.

Preferably, a frequency range of the ultrasonic transducers is 15.0 kHz to 40.0 kHz, and a power of the ultrasonic transducers is 0.3 kW to 2 kW.

Preferably, the injection pump is a peristaltic pump, with a jet flow rate of 10 to 90 ml/min. A connection end of the nozzle is connected to an outlet pipeline of the injection pump, and the connection end has a pipe diameter of 1 to 3 mm.

Preferably, the distance between the ultrasonic transducers and the reflectors satisfies the following formula: d1=Ac/f, where d1 represents the distance, and A is a value coefficient, with different values of A corresponding to nodes at different positions. At these positions, control over the flow state can be achieved. Theoretically, A can take values of 1, 2, 3, etc., but in practical applications, the value of A cannot be precisely set to 1, 2, etc. Therefore, coefficient ranges for A are defined as 0.95 to 1.05, 1.9 to 2.1, etc. Within these ranges, a controlled flow phenomenon can be generated, where c is a local sound speed and f is an ultrasonic frequency.

Preferably, a distance from an ultrasonic focus area generated by the ultrasonic transducer in conjunction with the reflector to the reflectors is defined as follows:

The present disclosure also discloses a control method using the ultrasonic control apparatus for a liquid jet, which includes the following steps:

The present disclosure has the following beneficial effects: it utilizes the standing wave sound fields formed by the ultrasonic generator and the reflectors to adjust the state of the liquid jet, achieving droplet suspension and controlling the liquid jet. The liquid jet is ejected at the common nodes of the two standing wave sound fields, subjected to the action of two radial acoustic radiation pressures. By adjusting the sound pressure, control and adjustment of the liquid jet diameter and flow rate can be achieved. Additionally, a modulated waveform can be superimposed to achieve control over jet breakup, i.e., droplet size control, allowing for control over the disturbance frequency and modulation depth, as well as more precise control over the breakup length, unstable wavelength, and the diameter of the generated droplets, thus achieving the function of generating monodisperse droplets.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, an ultrasonic control apparatus for a liquid jet according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes:

The specific working process and working principle are as follows:

The ultrasonic generator is turned on to emit ultrasonic waves from the ultrasonic transducers, and the reflector is adjusted to the corresponding position. The ultrasonic waves are reflected by the reflector, forming a standing wave sound field. The same process is repeated for the two sets of ultrasonic transducers and reflectors, forming two intersecting and perpendicular standing wave sound fields. The distance between the reflectors and the ultrasonic transducers can be calculated using the following formula:

The liquid jet is ejected at the common nodes of the two standing wave sound fields, subjected to the action of two radial acoustic radiation pressures. By adjusting the sound pressure, control and adjustment of the liquid jet diameter and flow rate can be achieved.

Based on the jet diameter, the range of jet instability frequency can be calculated. Typically, the jet instability frequency should satisfy the following condition:

Based on the unstable frequency, a modulated waveform can be superimposed to achieve control over jet breakup, i.e., droplet size control, allowing for control over the disturbance frequency and modulation depth, as well as more precise control over the breakup length, unstable wavelength, and the diameter of the generated droplets, thus achieving the function of generating monodisperse droplets.

The present disclosure is based on the principle of acoustic radiation pressure and achieves precise control of the jet diameter through a dual-axis orthogonal ultrasonic field. On this basis, by superimposing a modulated sound field, it realizes control over the jet breakup length and droplet diameter. Compared to traditional electric control and ultrasonic control, the present disclosure can adjust the jet diameter and apply corresponding disturbances based on the jet diameter, achieving high precision and wide-range control for droplet generation.

In other embodiments, the ultrasonic generator 1 further includes two sets of ultrasonic signal generators 13 and two sets of power amplifiers 12. The two sets of power amplifiers 12 are electrically connected to the two sets of ultrasonic transducers 11, respectively, and the ultrasonic signal generators 13 are electrically connected to the two sets of power amplifiers 12. Both the ultrasonic signal generators 13 and the power amplifiers 12 are placed on an optical platform 4.

In other specific embodiments, the optical platform 4 is connected to two sets of adjustable sliding rails 7 that are both dual-axis adjustable sliding rails that allow for X and Y axis adjustments. The adjustable sliding rails 7 are connected to a clamping seat 8 for fixing the ultrasonic transducers 11, allowing the clamping seat to adjust its position in the X and Y directions under the action of the adjustable sliding rails. This further adjusts the positional relationship between the ultrasonic transducers 11 and the reflectors 2, obtaining stable standing wave sound fields.

In other embodiments, the optical platform 4 is connected to vertical rails 5, on which a telescopic platform 6 is slidably connected. The nozzle 31 is fixedly connected to a telescopic end of the telescopic platform 6, allowing for adjustment of a horizontal position of the nozzle 31. The telescopic platform can move up and down on the vertical rails, and the nozzle can adjust its horizontal position on the telescopic platform, thereby positioning the nozzle directly above an intersection of pressure nodes of the two standing wave fields at a height of 1.5-2 cm. The optical platform 4 is connected to an injection pump 32, with an outlet of the injection pump 32 connected to the nozzle 31 to provide a liquid jet at a specific speed.

In other embodiments, a power range obtained through joint adjustment by the ultrasonic signal generator 13 and the power amplifiers 12 is 0 to 2 kW, with a frequency range of a generated alternating voltage being 0.2 kHz to 40 kHz.

In other embodiments, a frequency range of the ultrasonic transducers 11 is 15.0 kHz to 40.0 kHz, and a power of the ultrasonic transducers 11 is 0.3 kW to 2 kW.

In other specific embodiments, the injection pump 32 is a peristaltic pump, with a flow rate of 10 to 90 ml/min. The nozzle 31 specifically includes a nozzle segment and a connector segment, with a connection end of the connector segment connected to an outlet pipeline of the injection pump, and a diameter of the connector segment being 1 to 3 mm.

In other embodiments, the distance between the ultrasonic transducers 11 and the reflectors 2 satisfies the following formula: d1=Ac/f, where d1 represents the distance, A is a value coefficient that can take values of 0.95-1.05, 1.9-2.1, etc., c represents a local speed of sound, and f represents the ultrasonic frequency. Theoretically, A can take values of 1, 2, etc., corresponding to nodes at different positions. At these positions, control over the jet can be achieved. However, in practical applications, the value of A cannot be precisely set to 1, 2, etc.; therefore, a range is defined within which the aforementioned phenomena can occur.

In other embodiments, a distance from an ultrasonic focus area generated by the ultrasonic transducer 11 in conjunction with the reflector 2 to the reflector is defined as follows:

In other embodiments, a distance between the liquid jet provided by the liquid jet device and the reflector is in a range of 5-35 mm.

The present disclosure also discloses a control method using the ultrasonic control apparatus for a liquid jet, which includes the following steps:

Since an apparatus and usage method disclosed in the embodiments correspond to a method disclosed in the embodiments, their description is relatively simple, and reference may be made to partial description of the method for relevant contents.

The above description of the disclosed embodiments enables those skilled in the art to achieve or use the present disclosure. Various modifications to these embodiments are readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be practiced in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. Thus, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments shown herein but falls within the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.