Effects of turbulent fluctuations on nanoparticle coagulation in shear flows

The effects of fluid turbulence on the coagulation of aerosols are studied quantitatively and qualitatively. Direct numerical simulation data is used to isolate the effect of the small or subgrid-scale (SGS) particle-particle interactions on nanoparticle coagulation in three-dimensional flows. The rate of particle growth is decomposed into the contribution of the large-scales and small-scales interactions. The contribution of the small-scale interactions is presented as a function of time, space, flow dynamics, and coagulation Damköhler number. Results show that small-scale interactions act to both increase and decrease particle growth. The probability density functions (PDFs) of the SGS growth rate exhibit a negative bias, which increases with time and coagulation Damköhler number. Additionally, PDFs conditioned on the Q-criterion suggest that the contribution of the small-scale interactions primarily act to reduce particle growth in regions characterized by fluid rotation.