A Nonequilibrium Approach for Self-Diffusion in Unbounded Rapid Granular Flows

Abstract

ABSTRACTA nonequilibrium simulation scheme is introduced to investigate the transverse diffusive motion in unbounded shear flows of smooth, monodisperse, inelastic spherical particles. A certain labeling algorithm is used in this scheme to extract a one-way particle mass flux which results a concentration gradient for the labeled particles. The self-diffusion coefficient can then be obtained from Fick's law. Using this scheme, one may find that the self-diffusion phenomenon across any layer inside the granular shear flow is analogous to the classic diffusion problem across a membrane. Under steady conditions, the current simulation results revealed that the particle diffusivity can be described by a linear law. This finding justifies the assumption of a linear law relationship in the kinetic theory type derivation of an expression for self-diffusivity. Moreover, it is shown that the results of self-diffusion coefficient obtained from the computer simulations are in agreement with the predictions of kinetic theory formulations in the range of solid volume fractions less than 0.5.