Diffusion Deposition on a Cylinder Due to Nearly Parallel Flow

The diffusional deposition of the particles in an aerosol on a cylindrical fiber when the aerosol is carried in a slow laminar flow whose mean direction is at an angle to the axis of the fiber is studied by considering the parallel and transverse components of this flow, ft is shown that when the flow is nearly transverse to the fiber, the analysis carried out by Natanson and Stechkina applies. When the flow is nearly parallel to the fiber, the asymptotic method of Stechkina is used to obtain an expression for the contribution to the single fiber diffusion efficiency. This contribution is shown to be somewhat less, but of the same order of magnitude, as that obtained by Natanson and Stechkina for purely transverse flow.     

Inertial Deposition of Aerosol Particles in a Periodic Row of Porous Cylinders

The aerosol flow through a periodic row of parallel porous cylinders is investigated. The air flow field outside the cylinders is described by the Navier–Stokes equations of viscous incompressible fluid. The extended Darcy–Brinkman equations are used to calculate the flow velocity inside a porous cylinder. The dependence of the efficiency of the deposition of aerosol particles by inertial impaction and interception on the Stokes number for various values of the Darcy number is studied. Comparison of the results obtained from the numerical model and an approximate analytical model is given. The combined approximate formula for the deposition efficiency of a cylindrical fiber in a parallel array proposed by Müller et al. (2014) is extended for the porous cylindrical fiber. The aerosol flow through the porous body composed by a random array of cylinders is calculated to estimate the interior deposition.

Copyright 2015 American Association for Aerosol Research     

Finite element modeling of ultra fine particle filtration by a membrane filter

Theoretical work has been carried out to investigate the filtration of ultra fine aerosol particles in a membrane filter. The analysis was done using a finite element method with a Newtonian fluid model for the carrier medium. Both inertial filtration and diffusional filtration were considered. Prior to the main analysis, our numerical scheme was tested with the analytical results for the diffusion of particles in the cylinder and showed good agreement, which confirms the importance of axial diffusion occurring in a short cylinder like a very thin membrane filter. Particle size, porosity, pressure drop, and flow velocity are found to be main variables that determine the filter efficiency. Two important mechanisms of filtration have opposite effects on the efficiency, depending on the variables. Increases in particle size, pressure drop, and flow velocity cause increases in the efficiency for intertial deposition, while decreases in those variables cause increases in the diffusional efficiency. The existence of a minimum value of total filtration efficiency (sum of inertial efficiency and diffusional efficiency) was indicated for intermediate values of the variables. Lower porosity is found to favor inertial deposition more than diffusion. Some other effects of filtration conditions on the total efficiency are also discussed.     

MEASUREMENT OF AEROSOL EFFECTIVE TRANSPORT COEFFICIENTS IN CYLINDRICAL TUBES

Transport of submicrometer aerosols in flows in tubes can be described by an effective one-dimensional axial convection–diffusion equation with apparent aerosol transport properties: mean aerosol velocity, mean aerosol diffusion coefficient (dispersivity) and mean aerosol deposition coefficient. These quantities are investigated experimentally by shape analyses of boluses of submicrometer Latex aerosol particles injected in the clean air flow through long tubes and a diffusion battery of capillary tubes. It is shown that the aerosol effective dispersivity and volumetric deposition coefficient significantly depend on the particle transit (residence) time within the tubes. For sufficiently long residence times these quantities are found to approach their asymptotic limiting values, predicted by the existing theories of the hydrodynamic dispersion. On the other hand, the mean aerosol velocity only weakly differs from the mean air velocity, and is almost independent of the aerosol residence time. The results obtained are important in several applications, including particle sampling using long tubes or lines.     

Inertial Efficiency of Cylindrical Collectors at an Angle to the Mean Direction of Flow

A model is given for the inertial deposition of an electrified filter whose fibers are oriented at an angle to the mean direction of flow. When the particle is polarized by the field resulting from a charged or polarized fiber, a fast numerical method for computing the efficiencies is presented for small Stokes numbers. A comparison of the accuracy of this method is made to the usual shooting method. The effective deposition rates due to inertia over a range of fiber orientations are computed. An average value of the effective deposition rate is computed, assuming a uniform distribution of orientations to obtain an approximation to the mean of the deposition rate of a filter having randomly oriented fibers. This average deposition rate is compared to the deposition rate for fibers which are strictly transverse to the mean direction of flow.     

A New Cross-Flow Tube Bundle Heat Exchanger with Staggered Hot and Cold Tubes for Thermophoretic Deposition of Submicron Aerosol Particles

A new tube cross-flow bundle heat exchanger has been designed and tested for thermophoretic deposition of submicron aerosol particles. The present design has five columns of hot and cold square tubes, respectively, arranged in a staggered manner to maintain a nearly constant temperature gradient in the direction of the aerosol flow. Each column has four tubes of 4 mm × 4 mm in cross section and the gap between the tube surfaces is 0.5 mm. The precipitator was tested experimentally using monodisperse NaCl test particles ranging from 38 to 397 nm in diameter at the aerosol flow rate of 0.6 and 1.2 L/min, respectively, at different temperature gradients. Results showed that the thermophoretic deposition efficiency increased with decreasing aerosol flow rate and increasing temperature gradient with the maximum thermophoretic deposition efficiency occurred at the aerosol flow rate of 0.6 L/min. The effect of inlet temperature of the aerosol flow on the efficiency was also tested and showed increasing inlet temperature increased the deposition efficiency. Numerical simulation was further conducted to validate the experimental data and good agreement was obtained. An empirical equation was also validated to facilitate the design and scale-up of the precipitator.     

Diffusion of Fibers in a Tubular Flow

Based on an ellipsoidal particle model, the equivalent diameter for the slip correction, diffusion coefficient, and diffusion diameter of fibers were obtained from the adjusted sphere method of Dahneke. The diffusion coefficient calculated for polydisperse crocidolite fibers compared favorably with available experimental data. Deposition of fibers in a tubular flow was then calculated with the use of the derived diffusion coefficient and applied to the human lung airways. The effect of velocity shear on particle orientation was also considered. It was found that the velocity shear had only a small effect on deposition. For a given fiber size, deposition increased in the lung distally, but at the same fiber diameter, the efficiency decreased with increasing aspect ratio.     

Deposition of Man-Made Fibers in a Human Nasal Airway

Many occupational lung diseases are associated with exposure to aerosolized fibers in the workplace. The nasal airway is a critical route for fiber aerosol to enter the human respiratory tract. The fiber deposition efficiency in the nasal airway could be used as an index to indicate the fraction of the inhaled fibers potentially transported to the lower airways. In this research, experiments of fiber deposition in the human nasal airway were conducted. Man-made carbon, glass, and titanium dioxide fibers in the inertia regime were used as the test fiber materials. The deposition studies were carried out by delivering aerosolized fibers into a human nasal airway replica at constant human inspiratory flow rates ranging from 15 l/min to 43.5 l/min. The deposition results were compared in detail between these fiber materials to study how the fiber characteristics affected the nasal airway deposition. The results showed that the deposition efficiency of the carbon fiber increases as the fiber impaction parameter increases. Many carbon fibers deposited in the anterior region of the nasal airway. In contrast, very few glass or titanium dioxide fibers deposited in the nasal airway, but relatively more of these two fibers deposited in the turbinate region. This result implies that, if a fiber in the inertia regime is inhaled during normal human breathing, the smaller the fiber, the more easily it could enter the human lower respiratory tract, possibly causing harm to the human respiratory tract.     

An Instrument for the Classification of Aerosols by Particle Relaxation Time: Theoretical Models of the Aerodynamic Aerosol Classifier

A new aerosol particle classifier, the aerodynamic aerosol classifier (AAC), is presented and its classifying characteristics are determined theoretically. The AAC consists of two rotating coaxial cylinders rotating at the same angular velocity. The aerosol to be classified enters through a gap in the inner cylinder and is carried axially by particle-free sheath flow. The centrifugal force causes the particles between the rotating cylinders to move in the radial direction and particles of a narrow range of particle relaxation times exit the classifier through a gap in the outer cylinder with the sample flow. Particles with larger relaxation times impact and adhere to the outer cylinder and particles with smaller relaxation times exit the classifier with the exhaust flow. Thus, the aerosol is classified by particle relaxation time from which the aerodynamic equivalent diameter can easily be found. Four theoretical models of the instrument transfer function are developed. Analytical particle streamline models (with and without the effects of particle diffusion), like those often used for mobility classifiers, are developed for the case when the centrifugal acceleration field is assumed to be uniform in the radial direction. More accurate models are developed when this assumption is not made. These models are the analytical limiting trajectory model which neglects the effects of diffusion and a numerical convective diffusion model that does not. It is shown that these models agree quite well when the gap between the cylinders is small compared to the radii of the cylinders. The models show that, theoretically, the AAC has a relatively wide classification range and high resolution.

Copyright 2013 American Association for Aerosol Research     

Particle deposition in the wake of charged spheres

Earlier work in this laboratory, wherein aerosols were collected from gas streams moving around charged water droplets, indicated the likelihood of high rates of deposition on the aft side of the droplet where flow conditions are not adequately represented by potential flow theory. Further tests were made with metal spheres and the aerosol deposition pattern observed with scanning electron microscopy. Results from these test confirm that the developed wake has a definite influence on the collection pattern as well as the overall collection efficiency. Generally, minima were observed aft of the separation point at an angle at which the vortices flow tangentially to the sphere. Maxima appeared forward of the separation and advanced toward the forward stagnation point as the Reynolds number increased and overall collection efficiency declined. At higher levels of field intensity the deposition profile appeared flat as one scanned around the sphere, with a peak at the rear stagnation point. Very little information is available concerning deposition in the wake of moving droplets. This seems particularly important for scrubbers and spray towers where particles are collected by droplets moving at high Reynolds numbers where wakes and eddies are quite common.     

Aerosol penetration in microchannels

New applications involving aerosol transport in microscale configurations requires the derivation of the penetration efficiency of aerosols in microchannels. Although many analytical solutions for the aerosol penetration in channels have been investigated, none of them are applicable for microchannels. Previously, the no-slip condition for the gas velocity and the zero particle concentration boundary condition have been applied to the convection diffusion equation. However, recent studies show these boundary conditions may not be appropriate for microscale geometries. The particle penetration through rectangular microchannels and cylindrical microtubes has been obtained using the numerical Crank Nicolson method with slip flow at the walls. Existing correlations for the aerosol penetration have been modified for the slip flow regime based on an optimization method. These correlations give the penetration as a function of the dimensionless deposition factor and Knudsen number of the gas. At large Knudsen numbers the penetration decreases relative to the case with continuum flow. Therefore, the aerosol penetration decreases in the slip flow regime. However, the non-zero boundary condition for the particle concentration at the walls does not have any significant effect on the model results of the particle penetration.     

Deposition of Ultrafine Aerosols and Thoron Progeny in Replicas of Nasal Airways of Young Children

The deposition efficiencies of ultrafine aerosols and thoron progeny were measured in youth nasal replicas. Clear polyester-resin casts of the upper airways of 1.5-yr-old (Cast G), 2.5-yr-old (Cast H), and 4-yr-old (Cast I) children were used. These casts were constructed from series of coronal magnetic resonance images of healthy children. The casts extended from the nostril tip to the junction of the nasopharynx and pharynx. These casts were similar in construction to those used in previous studies (Swift et al. 1992; Cheng et al. 1993). Total deposition was measured for monodisperse NaCl or Ag aerosols between 0.0046 and 0.20 (Jim in diameter at inspiratory and expiratory flow rates of 3, 7, and 16 L min^?1 (covering a near-normal range of breathing rates for children of different ages). Deposition efficiency decreased with increasing particle size and flow rate, indicating that diffusion was the main deposition mechanism. Deposition efficiency also decreased with increasing age at a given flow rate and particle size. At 16 L min^?1, the inspiratory deposition efficiencies in Cast G were 33% and 6% for 0.008- and 0.03-μm particles, respectively. Nasal deposition of thoron progeny with a mean diameter of 0.0013 μm was substantially higher (80%-93%) than those of the ultrafine aerosol particles, but still had a similar flow dependence. Both the aerosol and thoron progeny data were used to establish a theoretical equation relating deposition efficiency to the diffusion coefficient (D in cm² s^?1) and flow rate (Q in L min^?1) based on a turbulent diffusion process. Data from all casts can be expressed in a single equation previously developed from an adult nasal cast: E = 1 - exp(-aD ^0.5 Q ^?0.125). We further demonstrated that the effect of age, including changes to nasal airway size and breathing flow rate, on nasal deposition can be expressed in the parameter “a” of the fitted equation. Based on this information and information on minute volumes for different age groups, we predicted nasal deposition in age groups ranging from 1.5- to 20-yr-old at resting breathing rates. Our results showed that the nasal deposition increases with decreasing age for a given particle size between 0.001 to 0.2 μm. This information will be useful in deriving future population-wide models of respiratory tract dosimetry.     

Experimental Study of Electrostatic Aerosol Filtration at Moderate Filter Face Velocity

Aerosol collection efficiency was studied for electrostatically charged fibrous filters (3M Filtrete?, BMF-20F). In this study, collection efficiencies at moderate filter face velocities (0.5–2.5 m/s) representative of some high volume sampling applications was characterized. Experimental data and analytical theories of filter performance are less common in this flow regime since the viscous flow field assumption may not be representative of actual flow through the filter mat. Additionally, electrostatic fiber charge density is difficult to quantify, and measurements of aerosol collection efficiency are often used to calculate this fundamental parameter. The purpose of this study was to assess the relative influence of diffusion, inertial impaction, interception, and electrostatic filtration on overall filter performance. The effects of fiber charge density were quantified by comparing efficiency data for charged and uncharged filter media, where an isopropanol bath was used to eliminate electrostatic charge. The effects of particle charge were also quantified by test aerosols brought into the equilibrium Boltzmann charge distribution, and then using an electrostatic precipitator to separate out only those test particles with a charge of zero. Electrostatically charged filter media had collection efficiencies as high as 70–85% at 30 nm. Filter performance was reduced significantly (40–50% collection efficiency) when the electrostatic filtration component was eliminated. Experiments performed with zero charged NaCl particles showed that a significant increase in filter performance is attributable to an induction effect, where electrostatic fiber charge polarizes aerosol particles without charge. As filter face velocity increased the electrostatic filtration efficiency decreased since aerosol particles had less time to drift toward electrostatically charged fibers. Finally, experimental data at 0.5 m/s were compared to theoretical predictions and good agreement was found for both electrostatic and nonelectrostatic effects.

© 2013 American Association for Aerosol Research     

Capture and rebound of dust in granular bed gas filters

Experimental data for the efficiency of filtration of gases by fixed beds of granular solids are used to evaluate the reliability of the ‘cell’ and ‘constricted tube’ models for gas flow and aerosol transport. The dominant capture mechanisms are Brownian diffusion and inertial deposition. For Brownian diffusion, both models give sensible estimates for capture efficiency, but this process is shown to be insensitive to the model assumptions. Inertial deposition provides a much more sensitive test, and it is shown that neither model gives satisfactory predictions for the efficiency of inertial capture. Whether a dust particle adheres or rebounds on contacting a filter granule depends on the relative importance of kinetic and adhesion energies. An approach is proposed which enables the theoretical analyses to be applied to predict the limits of adhesion.     

A New Thermophoretic Precipitator for Collection of Nanometer-Sized Aerosol Particles

A new thermophoretic precipitator (TP) has been designed and used for the collection of nanosized aerosol particles. NaCl and Fe particles, with mean diameters of 55 nm and 3.6 nm, respectively, were used to determine the thermophoretic deposition efficiency as well as the uniformity of the deposition. When the average temperature gradients applied were 2200 K/cm and 2400 K/cm, a high thermophoretic deposition efficiency, close to 100%, was attained at aerosol flow rates below 15 sccm. A gradual decay in the efficiency was observed as the flow rate was increased. Theoretical calculations of particle deposition efficiency were in good agreement with experimental data. The deposition along the TP was shown to be homogenous on a millimeter scale for both NaCl and Fe particles collected on thin foil substrates and microscope grids, respectively. Finally, the thermophoretic precipitator was used to efficiently deposit Fe nanoparticles on a substrate for the subsequent growth of carbon nanotubes.     

The influence of lung volume during imaging on CFD within realistic airway models

In this article, we address a fundamental question regarding computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling within lung airways: does the inhaled volume during imaging have a significant effect on CFD computations of aerosol deposition? High resolution computed tomography (HRCT) images taken at mean lung volume (MLV) and at total lung capacity (TLC) obtained as part of a previous study of ventilation and aerosol deposition using positron emission tomography (PET) in challenged asthmatics were utilized to construct two airway models for each subject, and the differences in CFD calculated deposition metrics were subsequently quantified. These models included all the airway generations that could be rendered from the HRCT images. CFD calculations for three inhalation flow rates and four monodisperse aerosol sizes used images at MLV and at TLC from 24 volunteer subjects. Both large scale and detailed measures of particle deposition distribution were used in the analysis. The influence of lung volume during imaging is to increase airway dimensions in realistic models and thus reduce flow velocity and deposition due to impaction in the upper airways as calculated by CFD. However, large-scale deposition measures are confounded when the TLC models include deeper generations in the lung that increase the total airway deposition. These trends are modulated by the flow and particle characteristics of the aerosol, making consistent quantifiable differences between MLV and TLC difficult to predict unless both models consider the same anatomical airways.

© 2017 American Association for Aerosol Research     

Dispersion and Deposition of Spherical Particles from Point Sources in a Turbulent Channel Flow

The dispersion and deposition of particles from a point source in a turbulent channel flow are studied. An empirical mean velocity profile and the experimental data for turbulent intensities are used in the analysis. The instantaneous turbulence fluctuation is simulated as a continuous Gaussian random field, and an ensemble of particle trajectories is generated and statistically analyzed. A series of digital simulations for dispersion and deposition of aerosol particles of various sizes from point sources at different positions from the wall is performed. Effects of Brownian diffusion on particle dispersion are studied. The effects of variation in particle density and particle-surface interaction are also discussed.     

Detection of RDX traces at the surface with sonic aerosol flow desorption

The use of a high-speed aerosol flow is proposed for sampling RDX from the surface followed by chromatographic analysis. The aerosol is generated from different solvents by means of a coaxial nebulizer. The effect of the aerosol flow parameters (solvent flowrate, an angle of the nebulizer inclination with respect to the surface) and various solvents (water, acetone, and hexane) on the efficiency of the RDX desorption was investigated. The optimal angle of the nebulizer was found to be 30°, under these conditions, the desorption of RDX from the surfaces of different structure (metal, glass, leather, cotton fabric, and paper) has also been studied. It is shown that under the action of an aerosol created using water and acetone, desorption from a smooth surface occurs most efficiently (1.5 times higher than with hexane). In this case, the sample removes almost completely (about 80%) by the aerosol flow in a few seconds. A relationship between the desorption efficiency and the amount of the solvent sprayed (that is the amount of aerosol particles in desorbing flow) has a characteristic maximum which location depends on the properties of the solvent spray. This effect is associated with a rate of solvent evaporation. Under optimal conditions for desorption of RDX from a smooth surface using an aqueous aerosol, an LOD of ～10?ng can be achieved. For porous and rough surfaces, the efficiency of the analyte desorption decreases (three times for leather and cotton fabric). The results of the experiments conducted allow one to conclude that the RDX solubility in the solvent used does not affect considerably the efficiency of the RDX desorption. It is assumed that small aerosol drops are very active and can capture the particles of the target analyte. This promotes the desorption of RDX molecules from the surface.

© 2018 American Association for Aerosol Research     

方形截面纤维表面气溶胶粒子多机理过滤性能数值分析

采用数值方法求解绕方形截面纤维流场,考虑粒子布朗扩散、拦截效应和惯性碰撞捕集机理的联合作用,用布朗动力学方法研究方形截面纤维的过滤性能,考察了纤维迎风角(θ)、填充率(C)和过滤风速(u?)对捕集效率、质量因子及粒子沉积分布的影响。结果表明,小粒子的扩散捕集或大粒子的惯性捕集在方形纤维表面的粒子沉积行为均表现出显著的局部沉积特征,且与粒子捕集机理和迎风角有关。方形纤维质量因子的分析结果表明,在高填充率下,方形纤维的过滤压降虽高于圆截面纤维,但具有较高的捕集效率,综合过滤性能仍明显优于圆截面纤维,但在低填充率下,方形纤维综合过滤性能劣于圆截面纤维。