Inertial Migration of Aerosol Particles in Confined Microfluidic Channels

TL;DR

This paper numerically investigates the inertial migration of aerosol particles in microchannels, revealing how parameters like Reynolds number and particle properties influence their equilibrium positions, which differ from liquid-suspended particles.

Contribution

It introduces a fully resolved 3D simulation method for aerosol particle motion in microchannels, without relying on approximation models for forces.

Findings

Reynolds number affects particle migration behavior.

Initial position and density influence equilibrium locations.

Aerosol particles exhibit different equilibrium positions than liquid particles.

Abstract

In recent years, manipulation of particles by inertial microfluidics has attracted significant attention. Most studies focused on inertial focusing of particles suspended within liquid phase, in which the ratio of the density of the particle to that of the medium is O(1). the investigation on manipulation of aerosol particles in an inertial microfluidics is very limited. In this study, we numerically investigate the aerosol particle motion in a 3D straight microchannel with rectangular cross section by fully resolved simulation of the particle-air flow based on the contiuum model. The air flow is modeled by the Navier-Stokes equations, and particle's motions, including transition and rotation, are governed, respectively, by the Newton's second law and the Euler equations without using any approximation models for the lift and drag forces. The coupled mathematical model is numerically solved by combining immersed boundary with lattice Boltzmann method (IB-LBM). We find that the Reynolds numer, the particle's initial position, particle's density, and particle's diameter are the influential parameters in this process. the equilibrium positions and their stabilities of aerosols are different form those suspended in liquid.