A Theoretical Model to Describe the Motion of Aerosol Particles Due to the Combined Action of Inertia, Brownian Diffusion and Phoretic and Electric Forces

Abstract

Abstract General principles of non-equilibrium thermodynamics are used to formulate a model which describes the motion of aerosol particles affected simultaneously by Brownian diffusion, inertial impaction, electric forces and phoretic forces. The theory presented applies to an ideal mixture consisting of dry air, water vapor and aerosol particles where temperature, pressure as well as vapor and particle concentration inhomogeneities are to be considered. In addition, the system is subjected to the earth's gravity, to an external electric field as well as to a Coulomb force due to a charged collecting water drop. The basic model assumptions are as follows: 1) the diffusive kinetic energy of the aerosol particles is part of the internal energy of the total system, 2) an extended Gibbs relation, based on the Mazur-de Groot theorem, is used to derive the budget equation of entropy, and 3) the entropy production function obeys a quadratic form for the driving forces of heat, vapor and particle diffusion. In o...