Electrophoresis and electric conduction in a salt-free suspension of charged particles

The electrophoresis and electric conduction of a suspension of charged spherical particles in a salt-free solution are analyzed by using a unit cell model. The linearized Poisson-Boltzmann equation (valid for the cases of relatively low surface charge density or high volume fraction of the particles) and Laplace equation are solved for the equilibrium electric potential profile and its perturbation caused by the imposed electric field, respectively, in the fluid containing the counterions only around the particle, and the ionic continuity equation and modified Stokes equations are solved for the electrochemical potential energy and fluid flow fields, respectively. Explicit analytical formulas for the electrophoretic mobility of the particles and effective electric conductivity of the suspension are obtained, and the particle interaction effects on these transport properties are significant and interesting. The scaled zeta potential, electrophoretic mobility, and effective electric conductivity increase monotonically with an increase in the scaled surface charge density of the particles and in general decrease with an increase in the particle volume fraction, keeping each other parameter unchanged. Under the Debye-Hückel approximation, the dependence of the electrophoretic mobility normalized with the surface charge density on the ratio of the particle radius to the Debye screening length and particle volume fraction in a salt-free suspension is same as that in a salt-containing suspension, but the variation of the effective electric conductivity with the particle volume fraction in a salt-free suspension is found to be quite different from that in a suspension containing added electrolyte.     

Numerical simulations of viscoelastic particle migration in a microchannel with triangular cross-section

The migration of a spherical particle immersed in a viscoelastic liquid flowing in a microchannel with a triangular cross-section is investigated by direct numerical simulations under inertialess conditions. The viscoelastic fluid is modeled through two constitutive equations to investigate the effect of the second normal stress difference and the resulting secondary flows on the migration phenomenon. The results are presented in terms of trajectories followed by the particles released at different initial positions over the channel cross-section in a wide range of Weissenberg numbers and confinement ratios. Particles suspended in a fluid with a negligible second normal stress difference migrate toward the channel centerline or the closest wall, depending on their initial position. A much more complex dynamics is found for particles suspended in a fluid with a relevant second normal stress difference due to the appearance of secondary flows that compete with the migration phenomenon. Depending on the Weissenberg number and confinement ratio, additional equilibrium positions (points or closed orbits) may appear. In this case, the channel centerline becomes unstable and the particles are driven to the corners or “entrapped” in recirculation regions within the channel cross-section. The inversion of the centerline stability can be exploited to design efficient size-based separation devices.     

Bacteria and cancer cell pearl chain under dielectrophoresis

In this work, we aim to observe and study the physics of bacteria and cancer cells pearl chain formation under dielectrophoresis (DEP). Experimentally, we visualized the formation of Bacillus subtilis bacterial pearl chain and human breast cancer cell (MCF-7) chain under positive and negative dielectrophoretic force, respectively. Through a simple simulation with creeping flow, AC/DC electric fields, and particle tracing modules in COMSOL, we examined the mechanism by which bacteria self-organize into a pearl chain across the gap between two electrodes via DEP. Our simulation results reveal that the region of greatest positive DEP force shifts from the electrode edge to the leading edge of the pearl chain, thus guiding the trajectories of free-flowing particles toward the leading edge via positive DEP. Our findings additionally highlight the mechanism why the free-flowing particles are more likely to join the existing pearl chain rather than starting a new pearl chain. This phenomenon is primarily due to the increase in magnitude of electric field gradient, and hence DEP force exerted, with the shortening gap between the pearl chain leading edge and the adjacent electrode. The findings shed light on the observed behavior of preferential pearl chain formation across electrode gaps.     

Effects of ball-to-powder diameter ratio and powder particle shape on EDEM simulation in a planetary ball mill

The effects of the ball-to-powder diameter ratio (BPDR) and the shape of the powder particles on EDEM simulation results and time in the planetary ball mill was investigated. BPDR was varied from 1 to 40/3 by changing the powder particle diameter from 8 to 0.6 ?mm. The size and shape of the powder particles do not give a significant change in both the ball motion pattern and simulation results when BPDR is over 20/3. It can be assumed that the kinetic energy of the ball has nothing to do with the size and shape of the powder particle. The simulation time and data size increase exponentially as BPDR increases. The effect of change of the powder particle shape on the calculated data size is not significant, but the more complicated its shape, the longer the simulation time, which is linearly related to the number of spheres composing a particle.     

RKPM形状函数的矩式显式表述及快速计算

给出了计算再生核质点法(RKPM)形状函数及其导数的矩式显式处理方法。其特点是在计算形状函数及其导数时不涉及矩阵的求逆或者线性方程组的求解，从而减少计算误差的产生并提高了计算速度。二维及三维形状函数计算算例表明该方法是提高RKPM计算效率的一种有效途径。     

The low Reynolds number turbulent flow and mixing in a confined impinging jet reactor

Turbulent mixing takes an important role in chemical engineering, especially when the chemical reaction is fast compared to the mixing time. In this context a detailed knowledge of the flow field, the distribution of turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) and its dissipation rate is important, as these quantities are used for many mixing models. For this reason we conduct a direct numerical simulation (DNS) of a confined impinging jet reactor (CIJR) at Re = 500 and Sc = 1. The data is compared with particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements and the basic flow features match between simulation and experiment. The DNS data is analysed and it is shown that the flow is dominated by a stable vortex in the main mixing duct. High intensities of turbulent kinetic energy and dissipation are found in the impingement zone which decrease rapidly towards the exit of the CIJR. In the whole CIJR the turbulence is not in equilibrium. The strong mixing in the impingement zone leads to a rapid development of a monomodal PDF. Due to the special properties of the flow field, a bimodal PDF is generated in cross-sections downstream the impingement zone, that slowly relaxes under relaminarising conditions. The time required for meso-mixing is dominating the overall mixing performance.     

Synthesis and characterization of magnetic polymer microspheres with a core-shell structure

Non-porous magnetic polymer microspheres with a core-shell structure were prepared by a novel micro-suspension polymerization technique. A stable iron oxide ferrofluid was used to supply the magnetic core, and the polymeric shell was made of glycidyl methacrylate （GMA monomer） and ethylene dimethacrylate （cross-linker）. In the preparation, polyvinyl alcohol was used as the stabilizer, and a lauryl alcohol mixture as the dispersant. The influence of various conditions such as aqueous phase volume, GMA and initiator amounts, reaction time and stirring speed on the character of the microspheres was investigated. The magnetic microspheres were then characterized briefly. The results indicate that the microspheres with active epoxy groups had a narrow size distribution range from 1 to 10 μm with a volume-weighted mean diameter of 4.5 μm. The saturation magnetization reached 19.9 emu/g with little coercivity and remanence.     

台阶爆破破碎度的分布规律

本文采用摄影方法在海州露天煤矿对台阶爆破破碎块度进行了测量。根据现场试验所获得的数据,通过多元曲线拟合处理,给出了二种岩石爆破破碎块度的分布规律。所得结论对控制和提高爆破破碎质量具有重要意义。     

温升对大型精密离心机结构和技术性能的影响

讨论了温升时所研制的大型精密离心机液体静压轴承工作模式、光栅测量系统、失准角的影响，并对离心机热源进行了计算。在理论分析和实验研究的基础上，给出了温升问题的解决方法，并提出了今后精密离心机的改进建议。     

Mathematical modeling of two problems of wave dynamics in heterogeneous media

Two problems of heterogeneous media mechanics are investigated in the paper. The first one, concerned with the shock wave/dust layer interaction, is solved within the framework of the equilibrium model of heterogeneous media mechanics. The second problem deals with the simulation of a Riemann problem for a stratified layer of solid particles.This paper is based on work that was presented at the 20th International Colloquium on the Dynamics of Explosions and Reactive Systems, Montreal, Canada, July 31–August 5, 2005