MATHEMATICAL AND NUMERICAL MODELING OF NANOPARTICLES TRANSPORT

Abstract

This study aims at numerical simulation of nanoparticle transport in flue-gas treatment at a waste incineration plant. The purpose of this work is to assess the effect of temperature, particle size, and fluid velocity on nanoparticle transport around a single spherical collector considered as a filter medium for nanoparticles filtration. Thus, the stochastic Langevin equation was used to describe the dynamic behavior of particles with account for different forces acting simultaneously on these particles, namely, drag force, gravitational force, and Brownian force. The results indicated, on the one hand, that the effect of temperature on the nanoparticle movement increases with temperature and, on the other hand, that the fluctuation of the particle trajectory is a significant factor in decreasing the particle diameter. Concerning the effect of the fluid velocity, the role of the nanoparticles trajectory becomes more significant the higher the value of the fluid velocity. The results of this work which are expressed as the bivariate velocity and displacement distribution function aim at understanding the experimental filtration efficiency studied in laboratory conditions at two different temperatures and fluid velocities.