Acoustic Levitator
Application ID: 12155
An ultrasonic standing wave levitator, also called acoustic levitator, is a device used for levitating fluid and solid particles in an acoustic field. The standing acoustic waves exert an acoustic radiation force on the particles. The force is a second order effect and stems from a combination of the time averaged pressure and inertial interaction between the particles and the acoustic field. By levitating a particle it is possible to study, for example, its drying kinetics under different external conditions as temperature and humidity. The levitator has also been used to study combustion processes, the formation of ice particles and snow flakes, and is also used as an acoustic tweezer in micro-gravity for example in space missions. The model is that of a simplified 2D acoustic levitator geometry driven at a constant frequency. Small elastic particles are released uniformly in the standing acoustic field and their path is determined when influenced by the acoustic radiation force, viscous drag, and gravity. This model uses the Pressure Acoustics, Frequency Domain and Particle Tracing for Fluid Flow interfaces.
This model example illustrates applications of this type that would nominally be built using the following products:
however, additional products may be required to completely define and model it. Furthermore, this example may also be defined and modeled using components from the following product combinations:
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