Self-assembly of sub-micron particles suspended in a water film is investigated numerically. The liquid medium is allowed to evaporate leaving only the sub-micron particles. A coupled CFD-DEM approach is used for the simulation of fluid-particle interaction. Momentum exchange and heat transfer between particles and fluid and among particles are considered. A history dependent contact model is used to compute the contact force among sub-micron particles. Simulation is done using the open source software package CFDEM which basically comprises of two other open source packages OpenFOAM and LIGGGHTS. OpenFOAM is a widely used solver for CFD related problems. LIGGGHTS, a modification of LAMMPS, is used for DEM simulation of granular materials. The final packing structure of the sub-micron particles is discussed in terms of distribution of coordination number and radial distribution function (RDF). The final packing structure shows that particles form clusters and exhibit a definite pattern as water evaporates away.
- Heat Transfer Division
Numerical Investigation of Evaporation Induced Self-Assembly of Sub-Micron Particles Suspended in Water
Tayeb, R, Mao, Y, & Zhang, Y. "Numerical Investigation of Evaporation Induced Self-Assembly of Sub-Micron Particles Suspended in Water." Proceedings of the ASME 2016 5th International Conference on Micro/Nanoscale Heat and Mass Transfer. Volume 2: Micro/Nano-Thermal Manufacturing and Materials Processing; Boiling, Quenching and Condensation Heat Transfer on Engineered Surfaces; Computational Methods in Micro/Nanoscale Transport; Heat and Mass Transfer in Small Scale; Micro/Miniature Multi-Phase Devices; Biomedical Applications of Micro/Nanoscale Transport; Measurement Techniques and Thermophysical Properties in Micro/Nanoscale; Posters. Biopolis, Singapore. January 4–6, 2016. V002T07A002. ASME. https://doi.org/10.1115/MNHMT2016-6373
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