Turbulent Thermal Diffusion of Small Inertial Particles

Tov Elperin; Nathan Kleeorin; Igor Rogachevskii

doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.76.224

Turbulent Thermal Diffusion of Small Inertial Particles

Tov Elperin, Nathan Kleeorin, and Igor Rogachevskii

Phys. Rev. Lett. 76, 224 – Published 8 January 1996

Abstract

A new physical effect, turbulent thermal diffusion, is discussed. This phenomenon is related to the dynamics of small inertial particles in incompressible turbulent fluid flow. At large Reynolds and Peclet numbers the turbulent thermal diffusion is much stronger than the molecular thermal diffusion. It is shown that inertia of particles under certain conditions can cause a large-scale instability of spatial distribution of particles. Inertial particles are concentrated in the vicinity of the minimum (or maximum) of the mean temperature of the surrounding fluid depending on the ratio of material particle density to that of the surrounding fluid.

Received 11 July 1995

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.76.224

Authors & Affiliations

Tov Elperin and Nathan Kleeorin

The Pearlstone Center for Aeronautical Engineering Studies, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 653, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel

Igor Rogachevskii