Multiscale Simulation of Nanoparticle Transport and Deposition in Fiber Matrix During a Nanofluid Filtration Process

A multiscale model is developed to simulate filtration process for the fabrication of composite material with nanoparticle additives. The model consists of two components. One is a particle trajectory tracking model (PTTM) which can predict the deposition rate of nanoparticle on the fiber matrix in a single pore structure, and the other one is a macroscale transport model of fluid flow in porous fiber structures. The flow of the fluid in the porous media with a free moving surface is solved by using the meshless SPH method. The integrated model is used to predict the local deposition rate coefficient and the distribution of the nanoparticle concentration in the carrier fluid and on the fiber surface. We envision this as the first step of a systematic study towards to an advanced understanding of the process as well as the optimization of the operational parameters for achieving homogeneous material properties of the materials.