Unexpected trapping of particles at a T junction

Daniele Vigolo, Stefan Radl, Howard A. Stone
2014 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America  
A common element in physiological flow networks, as well as most domestic and industrial piping systems, is a T junction that splits the flow into two nearly symmetric streams. It is reasonable to assume that any particles suspended in a fluid that enters the bifurcation will leave it with the fluid. Here we report experimental evidence and a theoretical description of a trapping mechanism for low-density particles in steady and pulsatile flows through Tshaped junctions. This mechanism induces
more » ... ccumulation of particles, which can form stable chains, or give rise to significant growth of bubbles due to coalescence. In particular, low-density material dispersed in the continuous phase fluid interacts with a vortical flow that develops at the T junction. As a result suspended particles can enter the vortices and, for a wide range of common flow conditions, the particles do not leave the bifurcation. Via 3D numerical simulations and a model of the two-phase flow we predict the location of particle accumulation, which is in excellent agreement with experimental data. We identify experimentally, as well as confirm by numerical simulations and a simple force balance, that there is a wide parameter space in which this phenomenon occurs. The trapping effect is expected to be important for the design of particle separation and fractionation devices, as well as used for better understanding of system failures in piping networks relevant to industry and physiology. fluid dynamics | bubble trapping | vortex breakdown | 3D simulations
doi:10.1073/pnas.1321585111 pmid:24639547 pmcid:PMC3977238 fatcat:pzlnnafvtng7tcbhduw7yxs4by