Improvements of the experimental apparatus for measurement of the surface tension of supercooled liquids using horizontal capillary tube

Abstract

An experimental apparatus with a horizontal capillary tube for measurement of the surface tension of supercooled liquids, i.e. liquids in a metastable state below the equilibrium freezing point, was designed and tested in the previous study [V. Vinš et al., EPJ Web Conf. 92, 02108 (2015)]. In this work, recent modifications of both the experimental setup and the measurement analysis are described. The main aim is to improve the accuracy and the reproducibility of measured surface tension and to achieve higher degrees of supercooling. Temperature probes measuring the temperature of cooling medium near the horizontal capillary tube were calibrated in the relevant temperature range from – 31 °C to + 45 °C. An additional pressure transducer was installed in the helium distribution setup at the position close to the capillary tube. The optical setup observing the liquid meniscus at the open end of the horizontal capillary tube together with the video analysis were thoroughly revised. The red laser illuminating the liquid meniscus, used at the original apparatus, was replaced by a fiber optic light source, which significantly improved the quality of the meniscus image. The modified apparatus was used for the measurement of surface tension of supercooled water at temperatures down to – 11 °C. The new data have a lower scatter compared to the previous horizontal measurements and show a good agreement with the other data obtained with a different measurement technique based on the modified capillary rise method.