Investigation of the Vertical Movement of an Isothermal Line at the Density Maximum in H2O and D2O

TL;DR

This study investigates the vertical movement of the isothermal line at water's density maximum in H2O and D2O, revealing an inverse relationship between velocity and column diameter, and questions recent claims of new water phase transitions.

Contribution

The paper provides experimental data on isothermal line movement in water and D2O, challenging recent claims of novel phase transitions in water.

Findings

Vertical velocity inversely proportional to column diameter.

Maximum velocity of 1.4 cm/min at 22 mm diameter.

Velocity decreases to 0.4 cm/min at 125 mm diameter.

Abstract

We studied the cooling of a column of water, primarily in a freezer, and analyzed the development and movement of an isothermal line at ~4 degC in H2O and ~11 degC in D2O. Our experiments show that the vertical velocity of the symmetrical isothermal line moving up the column of water is inversely proportional to the diameter of the column of water. It has a measured maximum velocity of 1.4 +/- 0.1 cm/min when the column diameter is 22 mm and decreases to 0.4 +/- 0.1 cm/min when the diameter is increased to 125 mm. The measurement of the velocity becomes increasingly difficult to obtain when the column diameter is less than 22 mm because of the lack of complete development of the isothermal line. The data and discussion presented in this paper raise serious questions to the claim of new phase transitions in water made by S. Esposito, et. al. 0704.1381