Distributions of Micro- and Nano-Sized Particles Under Decaying Turbulence in a Chamber

Distributions of particles from micro- to nano-sizes in a rectangular chamber are investigated under the influence of an impulsively-started, decaying turbulence generated by a jet. The unsteady, compressible flowfield is simulated using a k-ε model and the related turbulence scales are analyzed. Stokes numbers, based on the turbulence microscales and integral scales, are used as the selection criteria for turbulence collision kernels. Population balance models are then used to calculate the particle size distributions. Histories of particle number density at several locations in the chamber have been compared with different initial particle sizes under different jet speeds. Lower coagulation rates have been shown to relate with lower jet speeds.