An assessment of cleaning mechanisms driven by power ultrasound using electrochemistry and high-speed imaging techniques

Offin, D.G., Vian, C., Birkin, P.R. and Leighton, T.G. (2008) An assessment of cleaning mechanisms driven by power ultrasound using electrochemistry and high-speed imaging techniques. Hydroacoustics, 11, 299-312.

Abstract

Page 1
AN ASSESSMENT OF CLEANING MECHANISMS DRIVEN BY
POWER ULTRASOUND USING ELECTROCHEMISTRY AND HIGH-
SPEED IMAGING TECHNIQUES
DOUGLAS OFFINA, CHRISTOPHER VIANA, PETER BIRKINA,
TIMOTHY LEIGHTONB
ASchool of Chemistry
BISVR
University of Southampton
Highfield, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK
prb2@soton.ac.uk
The cleaning of a surface is monitored in real time using a number of physical measurements.
In particular an electrochemically inactive material is removed from an electrode while the
electrode is able to detect a redox system in the bulk liquid. The removal of the material from
the surface is monitored as an increased Faradaic current at the electrode surface. This
signal is used to assess the ability of the cleaning method employed, in this case the
application of power ultrasound to the system, as a function of the position of the electrode
with respect to the sound source. It is shown that, depending on the conditions employed,
surface cleaning is driven by different mechanisms. In order to validate these findings high-
speed imaging of the system was undertaken and the results correlated with the
electrochemical data. In addition a number of novel electrodes were also employed to assess
the cleaning efficiency as a function of the electrode geometry employed. Implications for
surface cleaning in the presence of power ultrasound are suggested

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Contributors

Author: T.G. Leighton

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