Superfluid helium flow through porous media

✍ Scribed by H. Nakai; N. Kimura; M. Murakami; T. Haruyama; A. Yamamoto

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1996
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 873 KB
• Volume: 36
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0011-2275
• DOI: 10.1016/0011-2275(96)00030-6

✦ Synopsis

Flow characteristics of superfluid helium through porous elements of thermomechanical pumps were experimentally studied with special emphasis on the critical heat input which bounds the ideal flow regime and the superfluid turbulent flow regime. The dependence of the critical heat input on the temperature of superfluid helium and on the geometry of the porous element was investigated. It was found that the temperature dependence arises from the density of the superfluid component of superfluid helium, the specific entropy and the temperature. The flow characteristics of superfluid helium through the porous element of a thermomechanical pump can be fully predicted with this critical heat input and the Gorter-Mellink mutual friction law. A general description of the superfluid helium flow through porous media is proposed in this study, combining the flsw characteristics of superfluid helium through the phase separator and the porous element of the thermomechanical pump. This describes the flow characteristics of superfluid helium through porous media for various values of the permeability.