Search

Interfacial energy dissipation during stick-slip motion of a liquid drop on a non-conductive polymer substrate is shown to lead to an irreversible increase in electrical charge. This previously unobserved phenomenon occurs during surface wetting, in contrast to the previously reported charge separation mechanism that occurs during dewetting. Understanding this electrification mechanism will facilitate the design of energy harvesters and aid the development of risk mitigation strategies for electrostatic buildup in liquid flow across a wide range of industrial applications.

The lift and drag forces acting on a small spherical particle moving with a finite slip in single-wall-bounded flows are investigated via direct numerical simulations. The effect of slip velocity on the particle force is analysed as a function of separation distance for low slip and shear Reynolds numbers ($10^{-3} \leq Re_{\gamma}, Re_{\text{slip}} \leq 10^{-1}$) in both quiescent and linear shear flows. A generalised lift model valid for arbitrary particle-wall separation distances and $Re_{\gamma}, Re_{\text{slip}} \leq 10^{-1}$ is developed based on the results of the simulations. The proposed model can now predict the lift forces in linear shear flows in the presence or absence of slip,and in quiescent flows when slip is present. Existing drag models are also compared with numerical results for both quiescent and linear shear flows to determine which models capture near wall slip velocities most accurately for low particle Reynolds numbers. Finally, we compare the results of the proposed lift model to previous experimental results of buoyant particles and to numerical results of neutrally-buoyant (force-free) particles moving near a wall in quiescent and linear shear flows. The generalised lift model presented can be used to predict the behaviour of particle suspensions in biological and industrial flows where the particle Reynolds numbers based on slip and shear are $\mathcal{O}(10^{-1})$ and below.

The lift and drag forces acting on a small, neutrally-buoyant spherical particle in a single-wall-bounded linear shear flow are examined via numerical computation. The effects of shear rate are isolated from those of slip by setting the particle velocity equal to the local fluid velocity (zero slip), and examining the resulting hydrodynamic forces as a function of separation distance. In contrast to much of the previous numerical literature, low shear Reynolds numbers are considered ($10^{-3} \lesssim Re_{\gamma} \lesssim 10^{-1}$). This shear rate range is relevant when dealing with particulate flows within small channels, for example particle migration in microfluidic devices being used or developed for the biotech industry. We demonstrate a strong dependence of both the lift and drag forces on shear rate. Building on previous theoretical $Re_{\gamma} \ll 1$ studies, a wall-shear based lift correlation is proposed that is applicable when the wall lies both within the inner and outer regions of the disturbed flow. Similarly, we validate an improved drag correlation that includes higher order terms in wall separation distance that more accurately captures the drag force when the particle is close to, but not touching, the wall. Application of the new correlations shows that the examined shear based lift force is as important as the previously examined slip based lift force, highlighting the need to account for shear when predicting the near-wall movement of neutrally-buoyant particles., Comment: Currently submitted to JFM for review

Recent experiments found that a hot solid sphere that is able to sustain a stable Leidenfrost vapour layer in a liquid exhibits significant drag reduction during free fall. The variation of the drag coefficient with Reynolds number shows substantial deviation from the characteristic drag crisis behavior at high Reynolds numbers. Results obtained with liqiuds of different viscosities show that onset of the drag crisis depends on the viscosity ratio of the vapor to the liquid. The key feature of the vapour layer in facilitating tangential flow and in altering the behaviour of the boundary layer can be captured by the Navier slip model that is defined by a slip length. Here, direct numerical and large eddy simulations of flow past a sphere at moderate to high Reynolds numbers ($10^2 \leq \mbox{Re} \leq 4 \times 10^4$) are employed to quantify comparisons with experimental results in terms of variations of the drag coefficient with Reynolds number and the form of the downstream wake on the sphere. This provides a simple one parameter characterization of the drag reduction phenomenon.