Andy, thank you very much for your input. I will continue to search for some relevant litterature.
I have the feeling that replacing air with hydrogen does not make a big change to the surface tension. Can anyone tell whether this is correct. If it is correct, then why?
/Anders
Surface tension is a property of two different substances. The surface tension of water against air under different conditions is given in many textbooks and data handbooks. However, if the air is replaced by, say, hydrogen, what will be the surface tension? Where will I have to look for the...
After a few days of searching I found the answer :-)
In the large diameter tube long wavelength capillary waves on the interface between the gas and liquid causes the interface to be unstable and the liquid will fall out. This phenomena is called the Rayleigh-Taylor instability.
When the...
Thanks for your input, Dr Lots-o'watts.
I suppose that the answer is closely related to the stability of the meniscus. In a large pipe the surface tension may not be strong enough to create a stable meniscus.
Consider a vertical pipe partially filled with liquid. The pipe is open at the lower end and closed at the top. See the attached picture. Will the liquid fall out or not?
In a small diameter pipe a stable meniscus will form due to surface tension and prevent the water from falling out. In a...