Communication: On the diffusion tensor in macroscopic theory of cavitation

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

8-14-2017

Abstract

The classical description of nucleation of cavities in a stretched fluid relies on a one-dimensional Fokker-Planck equation (FPE) in the space of their sizes r, with the diffusion coefficient D(r) constructed for all r from macroscopic hydrodynamics and thermodynamics, as shown by Zeldovich. When additional variables (e.g., vapor pressure) are required to describe the state of a bubble, a similar approach to construct a diffusion tensor D^ generally works only in the direct vicinity of the thermodynamic saddle point corresponding to the critical nucleus. It is shown, nevertheless, that "proper" kinetic variables to describe a cavity can be selected, allowing to introduce D^ in the entire domain of parameters. In this way, for the first time, complete FPE's are constructed for viscous volatile and inertial fluids. In the former case, the FPE with symmetric D^ is solved numerically. Alternatively, in the case of an inertial fluid, an equivalent Langevin equation is considered; results are compared with analytics. The suggested approach is quite general and can be applied beyond the cavitation problem.

Identifier

85027385851 (Scopus)

Publication Title

Journal of Chemical Physics

External Full Text Location

https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4997934

ISSN

00219606

PubMed ID

28810751

Issue

6

Volume

147

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