Inertial focusing of neutrally buoyant particles in heterogenous suspensions

The modelling-based design of microfluidic devices leads to highly efficient process intensification, which provides insights into different temporal and spatial scales at which processes in various fields of application could be performed. This requires not only an understanding of the underlying mechanisms of different processes at the micro scale, but also the development of relevant computational tools. The macroscopic models are often unable to produce conclusive evidence for a given mechanism in systems with the complexity characterizing almost all chemical and biochemical processes. By contrast, mesoscale methods possess the unique ability to model relatively large physical systems, and, at the same time, effectively capture the essential features of the micro- and nanoscale structure, architecture, and relevant interactions. We demonstrate the feasibility and usefulness of this novel tool by considering a movement of neutrally buoyant particles in straight microchannels. The two-dimensional lattice Boltzmann method with immersed boundary conditions was used to study the influence of Reynolds number and particle diameter ratio on formation of particle trains. It was shown that an increase in particle diameter ratio leads to a less stable final particle configuration. An increase in Reynolds number was not found to significantly influence the train stability in the tested range. (C) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The modelling-based design of microfluidic devices allows for efficient process intensification by providing insights into different temporal and spatial scales. Understanding the mechanisms of processes at the micro scale and developing relevant computational tools are essential for this approach.