Mixture Of Different Sized Particles Research Articles

Inertia-induced focusing dynamics of microparticles throughout a curved microfluidic channel

This paper presents an improved understanding of the dynamic focusing process and lateral migration dynamics of microparticles throughout a classic spiral microchannel at finite Reynolds numbers. A novel two-stage model is proposed to elucidate the particle focusing process along the channel. Specifically, we find that particle migration undergoes a two-stage development comprising the formation of the particle array (stage I) and the shifting of the focusing position after particles are well focused (stage II). Variations in particle focusing ratio and lateral focusing position under different migration lengths and different driving flow rates are quantitatively investigated and analyzed. Results show that the cross-sectional Dean flow affects the particle migration dynamics throughout the channel more significantly at large Reynolds numbers. It is also found that an unstable focusing phenomenon occurs at the intermediate channel region in addition to at the outlets. A state diagram is then generated to illustrate the occurrence and development of this interesting focusing instability along the channel. In addition, the focusing performances of a mixture of different size particles are investigated to reveal the multi-particle separation process and mechanism. The small particle is found to contribute more significantly to the variation in the relative positions of multi-particles. These improved understandings of the particle focusing mechanisms provide insights into the device optimization and the operation protocol improvement.

The influence of particle size on the flow of initially fluidised powders

When particles are allowed to move over a horizontal surface, the effect of gas flow through them is to increase the distance over which they move, termed their mobility. This has already been shown for cases when gas is continuously passed through a current of particles, but this investigation shows that this is also true when the gas flow is only initially present. Experiments were conducted on a column of fluidised particles that were released into an enclosed channel by the removal of a wall, and the distance travelled by the particles was measured. The behaviour of fine particles (group A in the Geldart classification of fluidised particles) was distinct from that of larger particles. The mobility was modified when they were mixtures of different-sized particles. In particular, when there was no gas flow, the mobility was a maximum when the proportion of fine particles was 30% and the magnitude of this effect increased with the size of the coarser component of the mixture. All the different mixtures of particles acted in a similar manner with increasing mobility for a given gas flow rate with proportion of fine particles until roughly half the mixture was composed of fine particles, and there was then no further increase.

Fluid simulation with the geometric cluster Monte Carlo algorithm

Building on earlier approaches, the geometric cluster algorithm permits the efficient simulation of cases in which conventional simulation methods fail, such as mixtures of different-sized particles. Starting from the celebrated Metropolis Monte Carlo algorithm, the author describes the development of cluster methods for magnetic systems and their connection with the geometric cluster algorithm.

Potentiation of Immune Response from Polymer-Entrapped Antigen: Toward Development of Single Dose Tetanus Toxoid Vaccine

Poly(lactide) (PLA) polymer particles entrapping immunoreactive tetanus toxoid (TT) were used for generation of immune response using single point immunization. Immunization with different sizes of polymer particles encapsulating immunoreactive TT elicited anti-TT antibody titers that persisted for more than 5 months. However, antibody response generated by single point immunization of either nanoparticles or microparticles were lower than the conventional two doses of alum adsorbed TT. To overcome this limitation, alum was used with particles that improved anti-TT antibody response. Immunization with nanoparticles along with alum resulted in very high and early immune response: high anti-TT antibody titers were detected as early as 15 days postimmunization. However anti-TT antibody titers declined rapidly with time. Immunization with admixture of microparticles and alum elicited higher antibody titers than the particles alone and the antibody titers were high particularly during the later part of the postimmunization period. Single point immunization with admixture of PLA microparticles and alum resulted in an antibody response very close to that achieved by two injection of alum-adsorbed TT. Physical mixture of both a nano- and microparticles along with alum resulted in sustained anti-TT antibody response from very early days of postimmunization until 150 days. The antibody titers were maintained around 50 μg/ml for more than 5 months. These results indicated that immune response from polymer particles can be further improved by use of additional adjuvant. Furthermore, using various size particles or physical mixture of different size particles along with alum, it is possible to modulate the kinetics of immune response using polymer particles based immunization.

Potentiation of Immune Response from Polymer-Entrapped Antigen: Toward Development of Single Dose Tetanus Toxoid Vaccine

Poly(lactide) (PLA) polymer particles entrapping immunoreactive tetanus toxoid (TT) were used for generation of immune response using single point immunization. Immunization with different sizes of polymer particles encapsulating immunoreactive TT elicited anti-TT antibody titers that persisted for more than 5 months. However, antibody response generated by single point immunization of either nanoparticles or microparticles were lower than the conventional two doses of alum adsorbed TT. To overcome this limitation, alum was used with particles that improved anti-TT antibody response. Immunization with nanoparticles along with alum resulted in very high and early immune response: high anti-TT antibody titers were detected as early as 15 days postimmunization. However anti-TT antibody titers declined rapidly with time. Immunization with admixture of microparticles and alum elicited higher antibody titers than the particles alone and the antibody titers were high particularly during the later part of the postimmunization period. Single point immunization with admixture of PLA microparticles and alum resulted in an antibody response very close to that achieved by two injection of alum-adsorbed TT. Physical mixture of both a nano- and microparticles along with alum resulted in sustained anti-TT antibody response from very early days of postimmunization until 150 days. The antibody titers were maintained around 50 μg/ml for more than 5 months. These results indicated that immune response from polymer particles can be further improved by use of additional adjuvant. Furthermore, using various size particles or physical mixture of different size particles along with alum, it is possible to modulate the kinetics of immune response using polymer particles based immunization.

CFD modeling of gas‐fluidized beds with a bimodal particle mixture

AbstractA computational fluid dynamics model was developed for gas‐solid fluidized beds containing a mixture of two particle species. To calculate stresses of the solid phase, the kinetic theory of granular flow was extended to consider a binary mixture of smooth, nearly elastic, spheres. The developed model was simulated to demonstrate key features of binary mixture fluidization. Bed expansion with a binary mixture of different size particles, but with identical densities, was much higher than that of a system consisting of mono‐sized particles of the same mean size as the bimodal mixture. Minimum fluidization velocity for the binary particle system was significantly lowered. The mixing behavior of the binary mixture of particles, characterized by the mixing index, increased with increasing superficial gas velocity. For a binary mixture of particles of larger size with lower density and smaller size with higher density, larger, lighter particles segregated to the top of the fluid bed, while smaller, heavier particles segregated to the bottom. With increasing fluidization velocity, this segregation pattern reversed and “inversion” occurred. The drag and gravity force difference between small, heavy particles and large, light particles was dominant at low gas velocities. With an increase in gas velocity, however, the gradients in granular temperature and pressure became dominant terms in the equations for the relative force and thus velocity between two different particle species.